I Trust Him
by court2010
Summary: A brief version of most crucial scenes in the book series, except two changes: Harry Potter is female, and she trusts Severus Snape.
1. Introduction

**September 1, 1990**

Rain poured from the sky onto the Hogwarts grounds as the boats containing the small first years began clunking against the shore below the castle. Four student were in one of the boats together, Ronald Weasley, Hermione Granger, Neville Longbottom, and Daisy Potter.

Daisy and Hermione looked at each other with excitement. Daisy's long red hair whipped around in the windy air. Both girls hoped they would be in the same house. Daisy had only recently learned magic even existed. A giant appeared with the news after her relatives, the Dursley's, ran away from the letters that kept arriving. Hagrid, the giant, had told her that her parents were in Gryffindor, so she was secretly hoping for that house as well.

The four students made their way from the boats to the castle stairs. Daisy and Hermione separated from the two boys they met on the train as the climbed to where a tall witch in green robes was standing inside.

"Welcome to Hogwarts. Shortly, we will enter the great hall where you will be sorted into your houses. Let me check if they are ready." The witch vanished behind the door that looked high enough to be two stories high.

"I heard the famous Daisy Potter was on the train this year. My father never lets important news slip by me." A blonde haired boy stepped before Daisy. "I'm Draco Malfoy. You need to be careful around here, you don't want to be making friends with the wrong sort of people." He beckoned to Ron Weasley, who was standing nearby now.

Daisy tried not to make a face, but she wasn't the type that did so well. "I think I can manage on my own, thanks."

Draco huffed, clearly offended, but the conversation ended due to the tall witch returning, "We're ready for you."

A/N: This is beyond short! My chapters are usually 5k words minimum, but I just wanted to get all the formatting for starting a new story completed before I dive into it since I rarely am on my laptop (I use my phone to write). Do you like the idea? Anything you'd like the see? The plot is barebones at this point, so I can fit in most any suggestions.


	2. Year One

**September 1, 1990**

Daisy and Hermione smiled at each other as the doors opened wide. They walked in pairs between tables to the front of the school. Daisy began to feel nervous. She didn't know how they were sorted? She hoped it wasn't a test; she didn't know any magic at all. Even Hermione knew how to fix Daisy's broken glasses on train, and she came from a muggle home just like Daisy.

"You will come up when I call your name, place the sorting hat on your head, and then go and sit at your new house table." The tall witch instructed.

"Hermione Jane Granger," the witch read. Daisy smiled at her new friend as Hermione walked towards the sorting hat, looking incredibly nervous.

"Gryffindor!"

Daisy felt a stronger urge to be in that particular house now. She knew she would make friends wherever she ended up, but she bond so quickly with Hermione, and her intelligence fascinated her.

"Daisy James Potter," read the witch.

The great hall got quiet as Daisy stepped forwards, then whispers began. Daisy was barely looking at all the eyes watching her before they all disappeared under the brim of the hat. A voice came in her ears. Daisy remembered what Ron said on the train about only bad witches and wizards coming out of Slytherin. The hat took note of it.

"Gryffindor!"

Relief swept over her as she handed the hat back to the tall witch, Daisy was surprised to see a faint smile on her face. She had not smiled to any other students. However, she didn't focus long on the matter. Moments later, she plopped down next to Hermione and an older red haired student who introduced himself as Percy Weasley.

Neville and Ron were sorted into Gryffindor as well. As Daisy was looking at the head table, she saw Hagrid waving. She waved back then looked along the row of professors, so wondered what each one taught. Other than Hagrid, the professors seemed occupied in conversation, except one.

Daisy met the eyes of a man with dark hair that fell to his shoulders. His eyes were just as dark as his hair was, and when they made eye contact, Daisy felt something she had never felt before. Her hand went to her forehead, where a pain seared through her lightning bolt scar for the shortest of moments.

While she asked Percy who the man was, Severus Snape was deep in his thoughts. From behind, Daisy looked similar to her mother- Lily Evans. However, all he saw when he looked at her eyes was James Potter. She didn't have the green eyes of her mother, she had brown eyes as her father did. Those eyes brought back regrettable memories for Severus Snape, memories of a tormented adolescent.

After Daisy learned the man would be her Potions professor, she looked back at him again, but he was looking in another direction, deep in his own thoughts. Loathing swept through the grown man at the sight of those eyes again. Severus couldn't believe the fact that Daisy took James as her middle name.

The feast was over shortly, the small girl hadn't eaten so much in her life. All the professors had taken note of her low weight. All but Severus Snape and Albus Dumbledore were questioning her homelife in their minds.

Daisy and Hermione rose from the table and followed Percy Weasley out of the room and up to Gryffindor tower. Daisy couldn't believe she had her own bed- for the first time in her life. She and Hermione chose the two beds furthest from the door in the circular tower and closest to the largest window.

Taking her glasses off and putting her wand on the table next to her, Daisy quickly fell asleep. She had a dream of Severus Snape wearing a talking turban, but when she awoke, she could not remember anything.

Daisy sat next to Hermione and breakfast and across from Ron and Neville. "There was a break-in at the goblin bank!" Hermione sounded surprised as she read through an abandoned Daily Prophet left on the table. "I heard it was one of the safest places!"

"It is, next to Hogwarts." Daisy replied, quoting Hagrid. "Who was caught? What was taken?"

"That's the thing, no one was, and the vault was emptied earlier…" Hermione's eyes were going back and forth as she read the article again. "Vault 713-"

"713!" Daisy exclaimed. They all looked at her. Lowering her voice, "That's the vault Hagrid emptied for Professor Dumbledore the day he took me there. He took this small package."

"Whatever it was," Ron added since he overheard everything, "It was something important."

"We better get going…" Neville added. "I hear you don't want to be late for Potions."

The four made their way from the table and down to the dungeons. They picked seats in a row in the back of the classroom. Only moments later, Daisy jumped as the door was thrusted open and Professor Snape entered. "There is no foolish wand waving in this class." He eyed one of Daisy's classmates who was fiddling with his wand. "As such, I don't expect many of you will appreciate the art of potion making, nor do I expect many of you will excel in the subject. It takes exquisite concentration." He looked around the classroom. "However, for those select few that has what it takes, I can teach you to bewitch the mind, brew glory, and even put a stopper in death." His eyes wandered the room again. "The again, some of you may have come to Hogwarts with abilities so formidable that you feel confident enough to _not pay attention_."

He hissed the last words as Daisy realized he was talking about Hermione Granger. She was sitting next to her scribbling every word Snape was saying as fast as she could. Snape moved so he was in front of the girl. "Do you wish to be dismissed from my class today, Miss-?"

Snape was clearly not knowing of her last name. "Granger." She squeaked. "And, no… sir!" She quickly added.

Daisy couldn't believe the injustice that was occurring. "Professor, she was taking notes." Daisy whispered to the man before them.

Snape turned to face Daisy now, his black eyes bearing into her brown ones, anger brewing stronger with each second he looked at James Potter's eyes. "Did I ask for your opinion, Miss Potter?"

"No, I…" She trailed off, looking downward once Severus raised a brow at her, making her feel small. Snape turned to return to the front of the classroom again, "Five points from Gryffindor for Miss Potter's cheek."

Severus's glance was only too focused on Daisy's eyes; he was completely oblivious she was biting her bottom lip, looking distressed. Daisy prided herself on being a good and respectful student. Although, when Hermione was treated unfairly, something arose in Daisy that she had never felt before; however, that may have been due to the lack of friendships in her life before Hogwarts.

After Potions came Transfiguration, Daisy, Hermione, and Ron made their way up the stairs, trying to find their classroom. However, they found a dark and empty passageway. Daisy suggested they were in the wrong area when Hermione realized where they were- the forbidden third floor.

"Filch's cat!" Ron added. "If we're caught, we're done for!"

The trio took off running towards the stairs, but they were only faced with more dark corridors. They were completely lost. "Filch is coming!" Daisy hissed as the tried to hide in a doorway. Ron was trying to pull the door open.

"Move!" Hermione snapped, and with a quick spell, the door was unlocked. The three slipped inside, just in time to miss Filch. "I think he's gone now." Hermione added.

"I think we have bigger problems…" Daisy whispered. Ron and Hermione turned around to see a three-headed dog behind them. He was just waking up from a nap. In a swift movement, they flew the door open and slammed it shut again as the dog was snarling, one of its heads pressed against the door.

"What are they doing keeping a dog like that in a school?" Ron hissed as they took off in the direction they hoped would bring them to stairs.

When they were safely on the moving staircases, and back on their way to class, Hermione spoke. "Didn't you see what it was standing on?" Ron made a remark about being too busy watching its three heads that made Daisy giggle. "It was on a trapdoor! It's guarding something."

The smile was removed from Daisy's face. "It must be hiding on what was in vault 713!" Hermione nodded. "After this class, come meet Hagrid with me. He will know more about this."

Their lesson with Professor McGonagall went smoother than Potions, and after they went to visit Hagrid. He didn't tell them much, but he did let it slip that it was from vault 713, and it only concerned Albus Dumbledore and Nicholas Flamel. The three didn't think much more of it since they had no idea who the man was, and they believed _Fluffy_ was an adequate guard.

 **October 31, 1990**

Daisy had never been more happy in her life than she had at her first two months at Hogwarts. While Ron seemed reluctant, he still followed Daisy and Hermione around. Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan bonded quickly, so Ron felt like a third-wheel with them, and he preferred Daisy and Hermione to being with Neville or his older brothers.

The morning was uneventful. They had Potions with the Slytherins. Daisy had no idea why, but she knew for certain that Professor Snape hated her. He was constantly making comments on her celebrity status and banishing her potions. She couldn't concentrate as a fear for the man was starting to brew more successfully than any of her potions had.

After Potions came Transfiguration, lunch, and then Divination. Charms went well, except for Hermione and Ron. Daisy watched from a distance as Hermione correctly Ron, a little too loudly for Daisy's taste, but she would never admit that.

When class was over, Ron chose to vent to Dean and Seamus. However, Ron didn't know Hermione was behind him with Daisy. "She's a nightmare!"

Daisy watched Hermione's face, and she knew she was hurt by the words. Hermione increased her pace, ran into Ron from behind and took off running.

Ron turned around to see Daisy, "Look what you've gone and done!" She huffed as she chased after Hermione.

Both girls were missing as the Halloween feast began. Ron tried to ignore the guilt he felt in his stomach. Daisy soon arrived, sitting between Ron and one of his twin brothers. Before Ron could ask, "She is refusing to come to the feast, she only insisted I come so she could be alone. Hermione's been crying in the bathroom since Charms ended."

Ron's face showed her regret. "Just tell her you're sorry when you see her next." Eagerly, Ron nodded.

However, before Daisy could take a bite of her dinner, the doors of the great Hall burst open. Their Defense Against the Dark Arts professor came running in.

"Troll! Troll in the dungeon!" Quirrell screamed in a high-pitched voice.

The students dropped their food and started screaming in an equally high-pitched voices. Over the screams, Daisy asked Ron, "Are trolls dangerous?"

"Yeah, they're rather stupid." Ron replied.

The headmaster stood up. "Silence!" Dumbledore bellowed over the voices. "Prefects, please escort your classmates back to your houses."

Daisy and Ron were making their way back to Gryffindor tower when Daisy grabbed Ron by the arm. "Hermione, she doesn't know!" Ron looked hesitant, but he knew she was right. They had to save her.

When Percy wasn't looking, they snuck away from their classmates to the bathroom Daisy knew she was in.

It wasn't long before they found Hermione, and it was not much longer than that in which the troll found the three of them.

With Ron finally mastering the levitation charm, the troll was knocked out by it's own tree stump of a bat it was carrying.

The sound of the troll falling to the ground must have alerted the professors because they all came rushing in. While Professor McGonagall was surprised of what they had done, the golden trio was even more surprised she awarded them points for their "sheer dumb luck!"

Except something caught Daisy's eyes as Hermione was lying about what actually happened. Snape's robes were pushed to the side, revealing his black pant leg- which was ripped and showing a deep cut that was still bleeding.

Snape noticed Daisy's eyes on his and glared dangerously as he pulled his robe over his hurt leg. Again, he was too focused on her eyes to notice the concern that was on her face, even if it was one of her least favorite people on the planet that was hurt.

Once they got back to the common room, Daisy shared what she had saw. Hermione knew the only explanation was that Snape had tried to steal what belonged to Nicholas Flamel and Fluffy was protecting.

They all went to bed agreeing, Snape was not to be trusted.

The next morning, Daisy woke up incredibly hungry since she barely ate the night before. Ron convinced her today was something to look forward to. It was their first flying lesson. However, Daisy and Hermione seemed apprehensive of the idea.

The first part of class went well, except for Neville Longbottom. His broom quickly was not able to be controlled. After rising to a dangerous height, he fell and broke his wrist. Their professor, Madam Hooch, had to escort him to the hospital wing.

However, he left something behind. A small glass trinket was on the grass. It was a gift Neville received from his grandmother to help him if he was forgetting something.

And Malfoy was the first to spot it. "Oh look, the great lump has forgotten his rememberall!" Malfoy tossed it a few feet the caught it. Daisy saw the look of an idea flash across his eyes.

Draco threw his leg over his broomstick, "I'll put it somewhere safe. How's the top of the castle?"

The words came out of Daisy's mouth before she realized, "Give it her."

"I don't think so." Draco added nonchalantly.

Daisy mounted her broomstick, but Hermione caught her arm. "Remember what Madam Hooch said, you'll be expelled!"

But Daisy didn't care. Her loathing for Draco was not allowing her to think clearly. She kicked off hard from the ground.

Meanwhile, within the castle walls, Minerva McGonagall was walking to her office, but she was surprised to see Severus Snape looking out the window. She couldn't tell what his expression was- nervousness?

"Severus, what-"

But she was interrupted by Daisy flying as fast as she could, almost directly at them. Then Minerva saw what was happening since Severus was wordless. She caught the rememberall just before it smashed against the wall.

"She must take after James!' Minerva sounded joyful.

Severus turned to her once Daisy had safely put two feet on the ground. "You wouldn't-"

"Try getting the quidditch cup this year with _her_ as a seeker!" And before Severus could utter another word, Minerva was off to tell the future seeker herself.

Excitement turned to fear as the first quidditch match approached. Daisy could barely stomach breakfast as Oliver Wood told her she needed her strength.

She felt even worse when she heard a deep voice behind her. She needn't turn around to know who it was, but she still did.

"Good luck today, Miss Potter." Her brown eyes met Snape's black ones. "Although after you've proven yourself against a troll, a little game of quidditch shouldn't be difficult for you, even if it is against Slytherin."

She gave her best polite smile, which wasn't much for her dreaded Potions professor, "Thanks."

However, once the match started and Daisy was in the air, she felt as though she left her nerves behind. The quaffle was being passed back and forth, but there was no sign of the snitch.

Except her broomstick gave a frightening lurch forward, that she had not intended for it to do. Moments later, the broom was bucking like a horse, trying to throw her off of it. Her hands were sweaty; it was getting hard to hold on.

The Weasley twins were right below her, ready to catch her if she jumped off or was thrown off.

With one successful lurch, she went over the front of her broom. She was hanging on below it now. George Weasley moved higher and wrapped an arm around her middle, but the jerking finally stopped.

"I think it's over!" She said as she did a pull-up to get back on her broom.

"Good! Now find that snitch!" George winked at her.

It was only a few minutes later when Daisy was safely on the ground, the snitch firmly in her hand.

The Gryffindors all rushed the field. It had been a few years since they had beaten Slytherin. But Hermione and Ron had concerning expressions.

That night by the fire, Hermione told her what happened to her broom. "I saw Snape not breaking any eye contact with you, and I could see him chanting. Once his robes were on fire it stopped!"

"I knew he wasn't to be trusted! He's trying to steal from Dumbledore and Flamel, and he's trying to kill me!"

"What'd you ever do to him?" Ron asked.

"I still haven't figured that out…" Daisy sighed.

Christmas holiday was getting closer and closer, yet the golden trio still had not managed to discover who Nicholas Flamel was. Hermione was going home for the holiday, but Daisy was staying behind, and so was Ron.

Although it was very unlike Hermione, she urged Daisy and Ron to look in the restricted section of the library. They agreed to Hermione, but once she left, they both came to an understanding that having Hagrid slip something was likely to be more successful than sneaking into that section of the library.

 **December 31, 1990**

Daisy would not have predicted she would be sneaking around the library at night, but she was. She received an invisibility cloak for Christmas that morning. Knowing it was her father's, made her more keen on actually using it.

Daisy spent a few hours in the library alone. Ron was passed out asleep in his bed when Daisy tried to wake him. Once her eyelids were too heavy to continue reading, she put the last book back on the shelf of the restricted section, and wrapped her cloak tighter around herself as she made her way out of the library after no luck at all of learning more about Nicholas Flamel.

She was nearly to her common room when she heard voices, but they didn't belong to Mr. Filch, so she decided to investigate. As she got closer, her scar started to prickle. Finally she turned a corner to see Professor Snape pinning Professor Quirrell against the corridor wall, his wand pointing to his chest.

However, Daisy forget one important factor, she was invisible, but the cloak didn't cover any sounds she made. Before she could understand what was going on, Snape had already stopped talking because he heard Daisy's gasp.

"We'll have another little chat soon…" He sneered before moving in long strides in Daisy's direction.

Snape's hand reached out and made snatching motions as though he knew there was something there. Daisy remained as quiet as she could, pressed against a wall, and eventually Snape gave up.

Once Snape was out of sight, she raced off in the direction of her common room. Meanwhile, Snape marched his way to the headmaster's office.

Professor Dumbledore was awake still, scribbling something on parchment when Snape entered.

"She cannot be wandering the halls at night! You gave her the damn cloak didn't you?"

"Licorice?" Albus held out a bowl, and Severus scowled. "It was her father's she should have the cloak."

"When she is of proper age!" Severus glared. "Quirrell is up to something. I don't know what or how, but he is different since the summer holiday."

"I imagine you will keep an eye on him for me?" Severus eyed Albus, and he knew the answer. "And I imagine you will continue to keep an eye on Miss Potter for me as well?"

Severus looked dangerous, "Reluctantly, yes."

Albus chuckled as he looked at Severus. Then Fawkes landed on his desk, looking the headmaster in the eyes. "It might interest you to know she probably still hasn't made it back to her bed."

Again, a slight look of worry crossed Severus's face. "Fawkes just alerted me that someone has entered the empty classroom near Gryffindor Tower, which conveniently holds The Mirror of Erised."

Severus stood up.

Albus went back to writing, his quill etching itself against the parchment. "Do try to have a slight amount of understanding, Severus." Their eyes met as Severus gave a curt nod before leaving.

Moments later, he opened the door and stepped into the classroom with the mirror. Daisy did not even hear him. He watched her stand before the mirror, her hand pressed against it.

For a moment, Severus felt a weakness towards the girl. Her image was probably similar to his, minus James.

Finally he spoke, "Just because you have that cloak does not mean school rules no longer apply to you."

She spun around. She didn't know what to say. She didn't know what all he knew she had done tonight. "I just found this…"

Severus raised a brow as he neared her. Daisy felt worried. It was only a few weeks ago when he tried to kill her during her quidditch match. Severus's lip curled, and Daisy had the uncomfortable feeling as though he could read minds.

"Get back to your bed. Twenty points from Gryffindor." Severus snarled.

Daisy moved to the door and grabbed her cloak, but something stopped her. She stopped caring who it was that caught her because she had an overwhelming desire for an answer to why she just saw her parents. Daisy knew she would likely never get a chance for an answer if she didn't ask now.

"Sir?" She sounded soft and hesitant.

"What, Potter?" Severus replied, but not in his absolute worst tone, more in his usual teaching tone of voice.

"Why did I see my parents?" She waited for a response, but when one didn't come immediately she added, "At least I think it was them… I've never seen what they looked like before…"

Daisy looked at her feet, not sure why she told her least favorite person in the castle that added detail. Severus felt a twinge of warmth towards the girl as her red hair met his gaze. All he saw was Lily as a child when he couldn't obviously see the lack of bright green eyes.

"That is The Mirror of Erised. It shows the viewer's desire. Now get to bed, and do not come looking for this again." Severus felt annoyed at himself for even continuing the conversation with a first year out of bed in the middle of the night.

"Thank you, professor." Daisy added before slipping out the door and back to her bed. Once she got her answer, she didn't want to give him any further time to murder her.

Severus stood in the empty room before walking towards the mirror, knowing he would regret it. Briefly, he glanced at the reflection of himself, but he wasn't alone. Lily stood by his side, her head resting on his shoulder. Her red hair draped down the arm of his robes. However, something new had appeared since the last time he looked in the mirror many years ago.

A small child stood between them. She had Lily's hair and facial features, just like Daisy. But upon closer examination, her eyes were not brown. They were so dark that it was hard to distinguish where the pupil even was, just like Severus's eyes.

 **Late Spring 1991**

"Another Dumbledore!" Ron sounded disappointed as he looked at his chocolate frog card. "You want it?" He added to Daisy.

"Sure," she replied. She already had a Dumbledore as well, but she didn't mind having two. His cards would always remind her of her first day at Hogwarts since she opened her first chocolate frog on the train from London to find his card inside.

She looked over the back of the card, procrastinating studying for exams. "I got something!" She spoke as loudly as she could without drawing attention to herself in the busy common room. Everyone was preparing for exams.

Hermione and Ron moved in closer to see the back of the card. "Nicholas Flamel worked with Dumbledore on the sorcerer's stone!"

Hermione's face lit up. "That's it! That's under the trap door!"

Ron noticed the common room was nearly empty. "Now that we've figured it out, can we go to dinner?"

Hermione rolled her eyes as they rose to follow the rest of their Gryffindors down to the great hall.

Except someone was missing from the head table. Professor Dumbledore's chair was empty. "You don't think the sorcerer's stone is more likely to be stolen if Dumbledore is gone?" Daisy spoke cautiously.

Hermione looked her straight in the eyes, "Of course I do…"

Ron added between bites, "We'll talk to McGonagall on her way out."

Except when they had finished eating and they spoke to the head of their house in the hallway, she was the least bit concerned. However, she was surprised they knew what was hidden in the school.

They stood in the corridor, whispering about what to do, and then a voice came from behind them. "Good evening…" Slowly they turned around to see Snape eyeing them. "Now what would three young Gryffindors such as yourself be so loquacious about before exams."

"We were just," Hermione paused, not knowing what to say.

Yet it was clear to Snape she had nothing to say. "You might want to be careful someone might think you're up to something." He spoke his last words with his gaze bearing down on Daisy.

But he spun on his heels and left them alone.

"He's the one that is up to something." Daisy added. "We'll have to get the stone ourselves." Hermione and Ron looked agasp. "Hagrid mentioned Fluffy falls asleep to music over Christmas holiday when I was trying to get more information from him. Apparently it's not exactly an uncommon way to control animals like that..."

"If we get the stone then it will be safe until Dumbledore returns!' Ron added.

Hermione knew the amount of rules they were breaking, but she nodded. "After curfew, we'll go in your cloak."

Immediately, they knew they were too late. Once they pushed the door open to Fluffy's room, they saw a harp playing in the corner, and the trapdoor was wide open. Hermione pocketed her recorder, and they jumped down into the darkness. They all hoped the three of them combined could defeat Snape.

As the three first years realized more challenges existed before them, Severus Snape was sending an owl to Albus Dumbledore. Severus knew Quirrell was going to attempt to steal the stone tonight, and Albus needed to return to the school.

Severus sat in his office, trying to grade papers when he had a terrible suspicion about what the golden trio may have been whispering about. Severus was aware from Albus that the golden trio had found the three-headed dog, and they knew he was guarding something.

Slamming his quill down, he moved quickly to the third floor, hoping it wasn't too late.

Once Severus slid through the Devil's Snare, he found two first years below. Hermione's expression showed Severus they thought he was the one that was in the final room trying to stealing the stone; Ron was unconscious. "Stay here!" He barked. "Professor Dumbledore should arrive in a few moments."

Severus made his way through the other trials, but horror struck him when he opened the final room.

His suspicions were confirmed but even worse than he imagined. Voldemort was more than possessing Quirrell, he was living on him like a parasite. Severus looked at the ghost like object soaring around the room bellowing in anger, to Quirrell's dead ashened body on the ground.

Then he raced to Daisy as she fell backwards, losing consciousness as Voldemort flew through her before he disappeared. Severus lunged himself against the ground and reached his hands out just in time to keep the back of her head from smacking against the marble stairs that surrounded the center of the room, the sorcerer's stone still tightly grasped in her hand.

He was too worried about Daisy to think too much about how three first years managed to get through obstacles created for adults. He scooped her up into his arms. Her long red hair streaked down against Severus's black robes as her head fell into the crook of his neck.

As soon Severus moved backwards through the challenges and was returned to below the Devil's Snare, Hermione and Ron were already gone. Severus knew Albus had returned then. Quickly, he moved to the hospital wing with Daisy in his arms. It had to be past midnight now.

Once he opened the doors, Madam Pomfrey and Hermione Granger were bursting with questions, mainly if Daisy was alright.

"Over here, Severus." Madam Pomfrey motioned to an empty bed.

Severus explained what he walked in on, knowing Hermione would find out when she awoke anyway.

"It seems your suspicions were correct…" Albus sighed as Severus explained what he found.

"It was Professor Quirrell?" Hermione asked, looking from Dumbledore to Snape. Her shock still had not diminished that it was not Severus.

"It was truly Lord Voldemort possessing him." Albus replied wisely.

Hermione inhaled sharply at the sound of the name and the realization of what Daisy did. However, she still looked at Severus without complete faith. She still had not gotten an answer for why Snape was trying to hex Daisy's broom in her first quidditch match.

Yet, Severus seemed to know that was still a pressing issue. "Which explains why Professor Quirrell was hexing Miss Potter's broom in the match against Slytherin."

"But I saw you doing it." Hermione spoke quickly and instantly regretted her bluntness.

Severus eyed her, suddenly knowing who set his robes on fire. "You saw me countercurse it."

Hermione looked at her shoes.

Albus felt pity for the girl, "And with your quick thinking, Hermione, you still managed to stop the initial curse and help save your friend. And for that, twenty points to Gryffindor."

Severus rolled his eyes. The school year was nearly done, twenty points wasn't going to make a difference.

"It looks as though Mr. Weasley is waking up," Albus trailed on. "I imagine there is a great story to fill him in on since he missed part of the ending." He winked at Hermione. "As for me, I have to go put a posting in the Daily Prophet for a new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. Miss Potter is in good hands now."

As Albus left, Severus was left with Hermione, an unconscious Daisy, and Madam Pomfrey, who was finishing casting a diagnosis test on Daisy. Hermione quickly slipped away to the side of Ron's bed, without a second glance at Professor Snape.

"She will be fine, Severus." Poppy informed the man, who appeared to look relieved. Severus gave a sharp nod, and then he left the hospital wing.

It was two days later when Daisy awoke. Hermione and Ron were instantly by her side. Ron immediately told her how exams were cancelled; Hermione looked as though the news was still freshly upsetting to her. Then Hermione filled her in on everything else after they both convinced her they were alright.

"Snape was saving me in the match? Snape carried me here?" She still couldn't believe it.

"He didn't even leave until Madam Pomfrey said you'd be alright." Hermione added.

"But he hates me. You've seen the way he looks at me, and how he treats me in class! I don't understand."

"Trust me, neither do I…" Ron added.

Hermione continued to tell her how to stone was to be destroyed, but Professor Dumbledore wasn't upset about it.

Later that afternoon, Madam Pomfrey dismissed Daisy from the hospital wing. She was on her way to her dormitory when something stopped her. She was on about to climb the stairs up, but then she descended them instead- all the way to the dungeons.

Her nerves started to kick in once she was walking in the cool dungeon corridors. She was recalling all the terrible comments he made to her in class before about her being a celebrity, just not listening, or all the times Snape called her out in front of the whole class for messing up on a potion. But she felt a stronger urge to thank the man that just saved her life multiple times.

Softly, she knocked on the door. Minutes later, just as she was about to leave, it was yanked open. "Can I help you with something, Potter?" While the words he spoke were kind, the tone was not.

"I, I, um-"

Severus raised a brow. "I have quite the amount of work to do before the term ends."

Daisy took a deep breath, "I wanted to thank you, Professor." Severus hid most of the astonishment from his face. "For the quidditch match and then a couple days ago…" She was looking down at her shoes.

Severus snickered. The fearless Gryffindor was still timid of him. Finally she looked up at him. For the first time, Severus noted how her face looked just like her mother's. It was only her eye color, and her hair was a bit messier, but that could just be because she was still just a first year.

Severus had to force himself to return to his demeanor, "Next time try not to do something completely mindless that forces me into the situation of coming after you." He hissed.

"I know, sir." She hung her head again.

"I'll see you in class, Potter." And his office door swung shut.

Daisy made her way back to her common room, and Severus strode across his office and back to his seat. What Daisy did not know was that Severus had not been alone in his office.

"You don't have to be completely terrible to her." Albus sighed, leaning back in the chair across from Severus's desk.

"You've said so yourself, the Dark Lord will return someday." Severus began, and Albus sensed a tone of sadness to his voice. "What am I supposed to do when he comes back to power if the girl can actually stand to be around me? He will order me to bring her to him!" He hissed the last words. "Unless you don't need me to play spy for you in round two?"

The loathing in his voice was clear. Albus knew he hated the task as spy, but he agreed to relieve the guilt of being responsible for Lily and James Potter's deaths. "Regrettably, I still will…"

The two men were quiet until Severus spoke, "She isn't going to get much of a childhood is she? With him returning when she is still eleven." His voice was hushed, as though he was shocking himself by these words.

"She never had much of a childhood." Severus looked at the man questioningly. "Lily's sister never accepted her." Severus felt angered by Petunia. "She has only known a life of basically being their servant."

Severus couldn't hide his anger any longer. "Why is she there then?" He snapped. Albus opened his mouth to speak, "I know the protection, but at what cost? She doesn't need to be there the entire holiday. That's two months! I wondered why she was so thin…"

"I had no idea you cared for her at such a level." Albus added. Severus opened his mouth to argue, but it was useless. Albus knew Severus better than anyone ever had before, and Albus knew Severus was already fearful of the day when Daisy learned about his real involvement with Voldemort…


	3. Year Two Part One

**Late Summer 1991**

Daisy was in her bedroom of her relative's home. She was reliving her last few days at Hogwarts for her first year in her mind. She loved how at the last minute Gryffindor won the house cup because of what she had done with her friends to save the sorcerer's stone. That all seemed ages away now as she lay awake at night, listening to her uncle and cousin snore loudly.

With a flashlight, she read her textbook, trying to stay on top of all of the assignments she was given over the summer. She was currently locked in her room because a house-elf named Dobby had dropped a pudding on her uncle's client's wife's head. And to make matters worse, the ministry thought she had performed underage magic!

Except she was soon to be saved. Little did she know, a flying car was about to show up at her window, flown by the Weasley boys to rescue her. Then she would have the best last two weeks of summer. She'd experience living in a magical home for the first time, meeting her absurd new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, and she'd wonder why George always seemed jittery around her.

However, those two weeks would come to an abrupt stop when Daisy and Ron tried to enter the barrier to Platform 9¾. Since Hermione wasn't with them, they raced back to the flying car they arrived in to follow the train to Hogwarts.

What was even more abrupt was their landing- in a bewitched tree that immediately tried to smash them with its branches. Once they left their trunks in a pile by the door outside the castle, they looked into the outside window of the great hall to see what they had missed.

"Put me up on your shoulders! I'll tell you what they're doing." Daisy announced to Ron since the windows were too high off the ground for them to see anything. Ron sighed, but lowered himself so Daisy could leverage herself onto his shoulders.

"Ginny is about to be sorted!" She exclaimed. "Gryffindor! She's sitting down next to Hermione now- who looks pretty anxious."

"No surprise there." Ron replied. "Do you see Filch by chance? That way we can sneak in without anyone seeing us-"

But a dangerous voice came from behind. "Unless someone already knows you did not get off the train…"

Ron spun around so fast that Daisy was flung from his shoulders. In a split second, Snape cast a cushioning charm on the ground before she landed. "Have a good summer, Professor?" She sounded sweet, but her nerves were obvious as she looked from the ground up at him.

"My. Office. Now."

Ron gave Daisy a hand up as they followed him into the castle and down to his office.

"Sit."

They immediately sat down before his desk. Snape grabbed something on his desk then held it before their faces. "You were seen! You could have been hurt!" Severus surprised himself when his second statement came out, although he was only looking at Daisy when he said it.

Then he noticed something, the bottom of her lip was quivering.

"You're not going to expel us are you?"

"Not today, Mr. Weasley." Another voice entered the office. It was Professor McGonagall. "But fifty points from Gryffindor."

"And detention." Severus added. Minerva scowled at him; he was not their head of house. Looking at Minerva, "You take Weasley." Then he turned to Daisy, "You in my office at six o'clock every night this week."

"Yes, sir." She nodded, looking less frightened but still sorry.

"Now get out of my sight!" He barked as Minerva added instructions for them to go to the common room where food would be waiting. They would not be joining the school in the feast that was about to start.

The next day at breakfast, Hermione seemed to feel a though she needed to scold the two as well. Daisy didn't argue, but Ron was incredibly annoyed by it and refused to speak to her for the rest of the day. It didn't help when Ron failed his first Defense Against the Dark Arts quiz, and Hermione received 100%. Ron argued with Daisy all during lunch how the questions had nothing to do with the subject and only the airheaded professor.

Soon enough, it was time for Daisy's detention. She knocked on the office door, and it opened by magic. Snape was sitting at his desk, his wand in his hand. He pocketed it and moved to the middle of the room. "You will be scrubbing cauldrons." He motioned to the pile of them in a corner of his office. Since it was the Potions office, there was a counter and sink for small brewings. There was a sponge sitting beside the sink with a bottle of what must be soap.

"All week?"

Severus raised a brow as his lip curled, "Unless you manage to finish before the week is up, in which case I will give you another task."

She nodded, and Severus was surprised how efficiently she worked at scrubbing the sticky cauldrons. He moved from his desk to standing behind her a few times during the evening, inspecting her work. Daisy felt as though he was breathing down her neck as she scrubbed with the sponge. She wished he would just go back to grading whatever he was, so he'd go away. And eventually he would retreat back to his desk and pick up his quill.

"Your hour is complete." Severus finally announced. "You may return _directly_ to your dormitory." Daisy nodded, remembering the time he caught her in the room with the Mirror of Erised last year.

Her second day at school went by quickly and so did her second detention. After dinner on her third day of school she made her way down to the dungeons again. Severus was stunned that she was nearly done with all the cauldrons. He thought she wouldn't even complete all of them.

Once she was let into the office Severus spoke, "You may continue the previous task. When you finish all of the cauldrons you may be done for the night." He figured she would be leaving ten minutes early at the most. Although after he said it, he realized how unlike himself such an offer was.

Daisy scrubbed harder and faster than she was before, she had a pile of homework waiting for her. She scrubbed faster and faster until she gave a sharp gasp as she scrubbed over a rust stain at the base of the cauldron, and it cut her finger deeply.

Snape heard and looked up to see what had happened. Daisy was grasping her wrist as she tried to wipe the soap from her fingers with a dry rag. He saw her brow crease with pain and within seconds he stood up and was next to her.

Without speaking, he took her small wrist in his hand, making her flinch slightly. Blood was trickling out of the deep gash down the top of her palm and the base of her middle finger. Snape pulled her behind him, wrist still in his hand. He let her go when they reached the cabinets on the other side of the office.

"Give me your hand." He ordered once he held a vial of something clear in his hand and a small black towel.

Daisy held her hand close to her chest, looking up at him with a frightened expression. Severus was getting to the point where he stopped only seeing James's eyes, and he saw a timid twelve year old girl that had clearly been neglected for the vast majority of her life.

"It's not even that bad. Really. I'm-"

Severus took her wrist again. He poured the solution over the cut. Her teeth clenched as the wound hissed. Once the fizzing of the wound ceased, he wiped her hand with the towel.

"It is going to sting for a bit. What did you expect?" He asked.

"I've never had something like that before…" She said quietly.

"It's a muggle treatment. Surely when you were hurt before-" But he stopped as she shook her head.

"No one really ever noticed if I was." And then she looked shocked for confessing that and looked down at her feet.

When she looked up again, Severus was still looking at her, but with a softer expression. It was different than ones she had seen him use before when he was around his Snakes, but then he turned away and took out gauze and tape. Using his wand he tapped both until they were the appropriate width and length.

Meticulously and gently, he placed the gauze on the wound then put the tape over it. Daisy felt odd as he nurtured her wound. Never before had someone taken care of her like this before.

When the wound was wrapped, he dropped her hand and spoke. "You may be done for the night."

She still had twenty minutes left in her detention. "But I didn't finish."

Snape raised a brow. "Would you rather stay?"

Daisy actually wanted to say yes. She wanted to spend more time with someone who had just made her feel taken care of and protected for the first time in her life, but instead she just shook her head, wished him a goodnight, and hurried out the door.

The fourth day at school was uneventful, and so was her detention. She sorted a box of various eyeballs into jars for an hour before she was sent to her common room.

However, something occurred on her fifth day of school in her final detention. She was sorting eyeballs again, when suddenly a sound shocked her and she crushed one in her hand. The noise of the bursting eyeball caught Severus's attention.

"What was that?" She looked at him from where she was sitting on the ground with a concerned expression.

"What are you talking about, Miss Potter?"

She figured at the ripe age of thirty-one, he must have poor hearing. "That voice… There it is again-" But then she realized by his expression that he didn't miss it due to his age, which seemed quite old to a twelve year old.

"Come here." She moved from the floor to stand by his desk. Since he was sitting, she had to only slightly look down at him. She bit her lip. "What did the voice sound like?" Daisy could tell he chose his words carefully, and he was using the soft expression again that made her feel safe.

"It said it wants to kill…"

Severus hid his concern well. "Was it a male or female voice?"

"Male? It was more like a hissing, like an animal…" Severus looked deep in thought. "Am I going mad?" Her voice sounded shrill and worried.

Surprising himself, he reached a hand out and gave her arm a tight squeeze. "No, but I wish to investigate further. I am going to use legilimency to access the memory."

"Leg what?"

"Legilimency." He repeated. It is a type of magic that gives me access to your thoughts.

"You can read minds?" She didn't hide the shock from her expression.

Severus sighed, "The mind is not a book to be opened as read. You won't feel anything. It will only take a second since it just happened." With that he pointed his wand at her and cast the spell. He heard the voice, and he understood now why she said it sounded like an animal. It sounded like a cross between a madman and a snake.

Before he slipped from her mind, he touched on another memory. He did so in a way that was so gentle she would have no idea. It was of the other night. It stood out due to all the emotion attached to it. Severus saw himself wrap her hand in the bandage, and how she almost wished to stay that evening. He felt her first twinge of being cared for and how it left her feeling safe yet also vulnerable to feel something like that towards someone with a history of unpredictable actions.

When he then slipped out, he spoke, "I understand what you mean now. You may leave. Your detentions are completed. I need to go speak with Professor Dumbledore."

"Professor, what is wrong with me?"

"I am certain it is nothing. There is a reasonable explanation for this."

She nodded and wished him goodnight before leaving, hoping she never heard that voice again.

But it was less than a day later when she did hear it. She was walking from dinner back to the common room with Hermione and Ron. Ron was in a sour mood because they left earlier than he would have liked because Hermione wanted them to all work on their homework together.

The night before, she had told her friends about the voice after her detention. They both seemed concerned as well. And neither seemed keen on following a voice talking about murder, but they obliged and chased it down the corridor with her.

When they turned a corner, they stopped in their tracks. Mr. Filch's cat, Mrs. Norris, was hanging by her tail from a lamppost- looking frozen. The floor was covered in water, and the walls were covered in blood.

"Enemies of the heir, beware… The chamber of secrets is now opened."

And then they heard the footsteps of a crowd of students. The voice appeared to have almost led them in a circle. They were not far from the great hall, and now the majority of the students were leaving from dinner.

"What have you done?" Daisy felt her stomach drop. Mr. Filch was coming. "What have you done to my cat?" He grabbed Daisy by the front of her robes and shook her.

"Please remove your hand from Potter." Came a familiar dangerous sneer and she shaking stopped.

"She killed my cat!" Filch bellowed at Snape.

"She did nothing of the sort." Severus was aware he was acting unusual by assisting a Gryffindor, so he rolled his eyes and acted as though he was just stating the obvious as he inspected the animal, hanging by its tail, further. "The cat is clearly petrified."

"She did it then!"

Minerva, who rounded the corner only moments after Severus, now snapped. "That is nothing a second year student can do." Then she turned to the rest of the students. "Back to your houses!" Then she added,"Except for you three…" Slowly the student's dispersed leaving the golden trio behind. They were all whispering about the message written in blood.

"I wish to talk to Potter privately." Severus said calmly to McGonagall.

"Do you?" She replied. "Last I checked you were not her head of house."

"I want answers about my cat!" Filch interrupted them.

Minerva gave Severus a look as though he had won this time, but not to get used to it. "Argus, we will go speak to Albus about this."

Severus turned to Hermione and Ron. "Return to your houses." They quickly hurried away, expecting a wrath of Snape to follow. Daisy had not told them of the kindness she felt in detention.

"Come to my office." Severus said as he turned with his back the wall covered in blood, Daisy followed behind until they were seated across from each other in the dungeon office. "Explain."

She told him how they were leaving dinner early to work on homework, but she heard the voice again. He interrupted her, "So you decided it was a good idea to follow a voice wanting to commit murder?"

"I guess…"

When she looked up from her feet, he was not looking angry. This surprised her since anger was the most common emotion she saw across his face since she first met him.

"What is the chamber of secrets? Who is the heir? Who did that to Mrs. Norris-"

Severus up a hand up. When he did so he realized something, he had to stop Daisy from seeking knowledge from him. He had only had such a relationship with a handful of Slytherins. Rarely did a student come to him with multiple questions that were not related to his curriculum. Severus wondered if she felt closer to him somehow. He didn't think it was possible, and he didn't think it was something he would actually enjoy.

"The chamber is a myth."

"But when is the myth based off of?" She looked at him innocently, and he was reminded of Lily when she was young and needed Severus to help her with Potions.

Severus eyed her but not in an intimidating way as he then explained the history of the founders and the creation of the chamber. Finally he added the part about the beast within.

"If Salazar Slytherin is the heir, then are his enemies everyone that is not pureblood?"

"Likely." Severus nodded. "However, this was likely some stunt pulled by older students."

"They petrified Mrs. Norris?" She asked.

Severus knew this was unlikely, but there was no other possibility. "Apparently." She sat there, looking as though she was absorbing all the information. "It's getting late, Potter. You need to get to your dormitory." She nodded and rose to leave. "And do not follow voices ever again that are looking to commit murder."

She smiled and wished him goodnight before slipping through his door, leaving Severus alone with his thoughts about the girl that obviously had grown closer to him than ever anticipated. He knew it was dangerous. When Voldemort returned, he could simply request Severus to bring Daisy to him, and she would not refuse since she felt safe around him.

He knew the best plan was to stop being soft around her, make her loath him again. But the idea of it made him feel a physical pain in his heart, something he didn't think he was capable of feeling unless it was about regret. More than anything, he did not want to regret how he treated Daisy. Before he fell asleep that night, Severus decided he would allow her to get close to him, but it could not be something public. The other death eaters could not find out about their connection, which meant other Slytherins could not find out because it could get back to their parents.

The next morning at breakfast, Daisy filled her friends in on what Snape told her about what the chamber of secrets is. Hermione was beginning to notice the altering way she spoke of Snape, but she didn't want to say anything. Even in class Snape was less cruel to her; which subsequently led to Daisy performing her potions with much more accuracy.

Eventually it was time for Daisy to leave for the locker room. The rest of Gryffindor house wished her luck as she followed the Weasley twins. They played Slytherin today, and Daisy was anxious to crush Draco Malfoy since he was their new seeker after his father bought all new brooms for the team.

As Daisy flew threw the air, she and Draco quipped a few insults at each other, but then they both stopped as a rogue bludger sped at Daisy so fast she had to do a circle, with her broomstick nearly staying still, to drop out of the way fast enough.

Meanwhile in the stands, Minerva noticed Severus's sharp inhale as Daisy moved from the bludger. She eyed him slightly, but now his eyes were only focused on Daisy avoiding being crushed.

George Weasley flew to her, but Daisy persisted that she was fine, and George needed to focus on the rest of the team and the game in order to win.

Finally, after diving towards the snitch with Draco and a bludger on her tail, Daisy's hand grasped around the snitch as its wings slowed to a stop. She was already on the ground from her dive. As she stood up and showed the cheering crowd the snitch, something smashed into her elbow from behind, knocking her to her knees.

The bludger hadn't stopped after the match. Seconds later George Weasley used a spell to explode the ball as a professors started moving towards her on the field, Lockhart first, followed by Minerva and Severus.

Lockhart reached Daisy when the other two were quite a few yards behind. He went on about how he knew the exact spell to heal her in seconds.

The whole Gryffindor team shouted no, but Lockhart snatched for her arm, and after the sharp pain of his grabbing, he cast a spell, and the pain was gone.

For a moment, Daisy thought she was lucky, but then as the other professors approached, her arm lurched forward as though the bones had been vanished.

Daisy looked at Severus who had anger in his eyes. "Get out of the way!" He moved past Lockhart, eyeing him dangerously.

"This tends to happen sometimes." Lockhart tried to sound lighthearted about vanishing the bones from a twelve year old's arm.

"This can be fixed?" She looked at Severus who was inspecting her arm closer as he knelt down beside her.

He nodded. "Yes, there is a potion." Severus was fully aware he was displaying his concern for the girl in front of the entire school, even more than her own head of house. But it didn't matter to him. His only thought was that he needed to be sure she would be okay.

"Let's get you to the hospital wing, Potter." Minerva spoke from behind Severus, who lowered her arm and rose to a standing position, regaining his composure.

Daisy followed her head of house to the hospital win. The rest of her teammates followed behind. Additionally, Hermione and Ron caught up. Severus stayed behind.

That night Daisy had a hard time falling asleep. It was not painless to regrow bones. It felt like once she fell asleep, she was awoken.

"Dobby!"

The house-elf she met over the summer appeared before her. Daisy was not pleased to see the elf that held her friends letters from her, gotten her in trouble with the ministry for underage magic, and made the Dursleys livid with her for her remaining time with them.

"I got bars put on my window because of you!"

Except the elf seemed apologetic until he let it slip that the platform wouldn't let her on because of him. Daisy felt anger grow within her. The Dobby confessed the bludger was his fault as well.

"Why?" Daisy spat. "Why?"

The elf again, spoke about the dangers that would occur, and how Donny wanted Daisy Potter to remain safe. However, this time the elf let it slip that the fear stemmed from the chamber of secrets.

"It's true then? Is there really a monster?"

But Dobby stopped speaking. Voices and footsteps were heard coming. Dobby disappeared as Daisy fell back into her pillow, not wanting to be seen awake.

Voices soon filled the hospital wing. She peeked one eye open to see the backs of Dumbledore, Minerva, Pomfrey, and Snape.

Minerva was talking about getting a picture of the attacker. Daisy's heart sunk. There been another attack. And then it sunk further as she saw it was the first year Gryffindor she always saw taking pictures. He was petrified.

She craned her neck to try and see what was happening, but the film was destroyed when Minerva tried opening the camera.

"What does this mean?" Minerva asked sounding fearful.

"That the chamber of secrets is open…" Dumbledore spoke softly.

Severus turned to look at Daisy, who quickly snapped her eyes shut. She did not see his lip curl in amusement.

"Is Potter safe here alone?"

"I'm here!" Snapped Poppy.

Severus nodded as though he was obliged to believe that was sufficient protection as the other professors dispersed back to their own beds. However, Severus moved over to the other side of the hospital wing.

Daisy focused on making her breathing pass for being asleep. She could sense he was still looking down at her, and then she heard him take a seat next to her bedside. Eventually Daisy fell asleep again. Once Severus knew she was asleep, he stroked her hair softly, his thumb grazing over the scar on her forehead.

That night Severus finally fell asleep after a hard drink and obsessive thoughts of what the Mirror of Erised showed him almost a year ago.

The next morning, Daisy had her arm bones back, and she was discharged from the hospital wing. However, she was instantly crushed when she went to the great hall and heard what all the students were saying about her.

"She's the heir of Slytherin!"

"That must be why You-Know-Who tried to kill her."

"She always did seem annoyed when he was snapping pictures of everything."

It wasn't hard for her to overhear what everyone was saying. The rumors started when she was found at the scene of Mrs. Norris.

But soon the great hall came to complete silence as Dumbledore stood. He announced a mandatory dueling club by year. Second years were tomorrow night.

Once Dumbledore sat down the hall exploded into chatter about who would reach it and what would they cover? Would they really learn how to defend themselves against _the monster within?_

When the dueling club's time finally came around, Daisy was annoyed to see Professor Lockhart, but her spirits lifted when she saw Professor Snape. The first half of the club went well. They learned how to disarm their opponents. Daisy quickly was able to disarm even Hermione.

The second portion of the evening didn't go as well. Lockhart put them into pairs, and then Snape decided to have two students show the rest of the second years how it was done. He called Draco Malfoy to the center of the room, and then Daisy was called.

She eyed Snape, showing her disappointment in his decision, but she obliged and moved the to clearing in the center of the table-less great hall.

"Disarm your opponent only…" Snape spoke looking at Draco.

Daisy and Draco met in the center of the room and both bowed like they were taught. They took ten paces back from each other as Lockhart counted down from three.

"Three, two, one!"

Daisy did not disappoint. She cast the spell and Draco was thrown into the air and landed with a thud. Daisy hadn't done that before. She wondered if the spell worked better if you hated the victim of it.

"Again!" Snape called as he helped Draco up by yanking him by the robes.

Draco did not wait for Lockhart to countdown. Instead he cast a different spell. A serpent came from the tip of Draco's wand. It was not a friendly one.

"I said disarm only!" Severus spat as Lockhart moved forward to vanish the snake. Except Lockhart didn't vanish the snake. He only lifted it into the air, and it landed with a thud near a crowd of Hufflepuffs.

The snake was angered. It moved its head back as though it was going to strike the boy she knew was named Justin. Before Snape could properly vanish the snake, she cried out to it to stop.

Daisy had spoken to snakes before. Once at the zoo and sometimes in the gardens at the Dursleys. The snake stopped moving towards Justin.

"He didn't do anything to you. Please, leave him alone!" She spoke as the snake began to change its mind as bear its teeth again.

Before she had the chance to say anything more, Severus vanished it. She met his eyes, and he was looking at her with an odd expression. She had never seen him look so before. Later she would learn it was immense concern and even fear.

"What are you playing at?" Daisy turned to Justin, who looked angered.

"I told him to leave you alone…" She said softly to no one really since Justin and his crowd of Hufflepuffs moved away from her to the side of the room. "You heard me…"

Again she looked at Severus. He looked stoic now. His expression was completely unreadable. Daisy felt her eyes swell with tears at the whole school glaring at her and whispering. Swiftly, she fled. She raced past Severus and out the door to a lone corridor. Hermione and Ron followed her.

Once they made their way to Gryffindor tower, Hermione and Ron explained how Daisy actually spoke another language- a language few may speak. A language Salazar Slytherin and Lord Voldemort spoke.

"Great, now no one is not going to believe I petrified Mrs. Norris and Colin!" She exclaimed as the plopped onto a chair near the fireplace. Hermione and Ron looked at each other. "Did you see the way Snape looked at me? Like even he was afraid of you."

"It probably wouldn't be a bad thing if he was." Ron chortled, but Hermione eyed him. Hermione had noticed the bond between the two even if she didn't bring it to Daisy's attention yet. Hermione knew she didn't want to actually admit it since he still was absolutely horrible to the vast majority of the school.

"We know it's Malfoy." Daisy spoke earnestly. They had been talking about Draco being the heir for some time now. "We just need a way to prove it."

Hermione sounded nervous, but she added, "I know a way. Mind you it would be dangerous, and we'd be breaking about fifty school rules. But I know a potion…" Hermione explained Polyjuice Potion and how she recently stumbled across it. "We'd have to steal from Professor Snape. That's the only way to get a couple ingredients."

"We can't do that." Daisy shook her head.

"That's that only idea I have…" Hermione countered.

"We'll be fine." Ron added. "We'll just distract him, and Hermione will get it from the stores." Daisy bit her lip. Ron spoke again more firmly. "I'll distract him, and Hermione will get it. You don't have to be involved, okay? It's like you don't want to upset Snape or something…" With that he shook his head and walked to the boy's dormitory.


	4. Year Two Part Two

Guilt consumed Daisy before, during, and after stealing the ingredients from Snape to brew the Polyjuice Potion. Ron threw a firework right into Draco's cauldron one day in Potions. Daisy had a hard time not enjoying the Shrinking Solution splashing on Draco's face and nearly vanishing his nose. Once she felt pleased by what happened with Draco and Hermione grabbing what was needed, Snape looked around the classroom and dismissed anyone not affected. However, he first threatened to expel whoever was involved, and he vowed to find out who it was.

The golden trio made their way to an abandoned bathroom Hermione decided would be best for brewing. Before enough time had passed to complete the month of brewing, Justin had been petrified, along with the Gryffindor ghost, Nearly-Headless-Nick. Daisy barely looked up as she walked in the corridors between classes now. Everyone looked incredibly fearful of her, or they taunted her if they were in Slytherin and felt their blood status made them safe.

Finally the month had passed and the potion was brewed. Hermione claimed to have a hair of a student in Slytherin that she knew was gone for Christmas holiday. And she also brewed a sleeping draught to give to Draco's two best friends, Crabbe and Goyle. Daisy and Ron were instructed to give them the draught in a cupcake and then take strands of hair before returning to their bathroom. That was the final step to their potion.

Luckily, Crabbe and Goyle were daft enough to eat the floating cupcakes. Ron yanked some hair from the two of them, and they rushed back to Moaning Myrtle's abandoned bathroom. Hermione ladled them each a cup of the solution and told them to add their hairs.

Daisy felt sick as she transformed. Soon she and Ron were looking at each other, but they were now Crabbe and Goyle. Hermione refused to leave her bathroom stall, so they left without her.

Just as the hour was up, they returned to the bathroom with Hermione. Daisy felt herself transform as the robes she was wearing became loose on her. She told Hermione threw the stall door that it was not Draco, and Draco had no idea who it was. Finally, Daisy and Ron convinced Hermione to open the door. She stood before them as half a cat. The hairs were not human that Hermione had gotten…

Hermione spent the next two weeks in the hospital wing. Meanwhile, Daisy and Ron were walking through the halls one day to find flooding. It led them to the bathroom they brewed their Polyjuice Potion in. Myrtle explained to them that some girl had thrown a book through her. Daisy waded through the water and pulled a leather diary from a toilet, but it was empty.

Still she and Ron looked at each other, knowing something was odd. Daisy pocketed the diary in her bag. They would look at it later that night.

Daisy and Ron would never have been able to predict what the diary would have done. Hermione examined it when they took it to her in the hospital wing, but she couldn't find anything odd about it. It appeared to be a blank diary. However, that night they decided to write in it. Daisy took the quill and found out it was Tom Riddle's diary. Then Daisy and Ron were sucked into the pages, but the did not believe what Riddle told them.

When they returned back to their seats in the empty Gryffindor common room, they looked at each other, knowing Hagrid was not responsible. But none-the-less, they would go speak to him the next day.

The next morning they told Hermione what happened. She was nearly ready to return to classes. Only a few whiskers remained. She scolded them for agreeing to enter the book when they didn't know much about it. Daisy wished she could learn more about who Riddle was. What kind of person was he? Did he frame Hagrid or was Hagrid a real criminal?

That evening, after the diary had been stolen from Daisy's trunk, Daisy and Ron put the invisibility cloak on and made their way down to Hagrid's hut. However, Hagrid did not get the chance to speak. Moments later there was a pounding on his door. Lucius Malfoy entered, followed by Albus Dumbledore, and Cornelius Fudge. Ron couldn't believe it. However, before Hagrid left he announced to his seemingly empty hut to, "Follow the spiders for any answers needed."

When Daisy and Ron were again alone, they looked at each other as they knew what they had to do next. Leaving the cloak on the table, the went into the Forbidden Forest, careful not to step on the trail of spiders leading them into the depths.

Nearly and hour later and after a near death experience with giant spiders, Daisy and Ron were thrown from the car that brought them to school. They landed with a thud onto the cold ground of the dark winter night. Daisy felt as though she should thank the car that just saved her life, but she didn't have time before a livid voice hissed at her in the darkness. She knew instantly who it was.

"What are you doing out of bed!" Then Snape added, "and in the forest!"

"We- We- were just…" Daisy mumbled. Ron looked fearful.

"The. Castle. Now." Snape spoke slowly and seriously. Once they entered the doors, Snape barked at Ron to return to his dormitory; he also took twenty points from Gryffindor. Daisy made an attempt to follow Ron, but Severus stopped her. "Not so fast, Potter." She looked up at him, trying to hide her fear. "My. Office. Now."

Snape motioned for her to take a seat near his desk. "Explain."

Daisy didn't know how to, not without mentioning the diary. "We were just visiting Hagrid."

Severus leaned in towards her dangerously. His eyes flashing. "Do not lie to me!" Their eyes were looking directly at each other, and she remembered he could read minds.

It was obvious his attempts at getting her to speak were wrong. Severus knew that. He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. Slowly he went to hIs own chair and leaned back in it.

"What made you go see Hagrid?" He spoke softer, like he usually did when they were alone. "What did you discover?" She still was looking at her feet. "You can tell me."

She looked up at him and asked, "Do you know who Tom Riddle is?"

Severus looked at her curiously. " _Do you_ know who he is?" She shook her head no. "Where did you hear that name?" He tried to hide the harshness of his tone.

"I found a diary. It was his. He told me that Hagrid is the one controlling the monster. Tonight we wanted to ask him if it was true-"

"What do you mean it told you?" He hid his worry well.

"Ron and I wrote in it last night. The pages were blank, but it answered us back with writing that appeared, and then it took us into its memory. He showed us Hagrid, as a third year, getting expelled because-" She paused, unsure how honest to be. "Because Hagrid had a giant spider." There was no stopping her stream of honesty now. "But we met the spider, and it told us there is another monster in the castle. Who is Tom Riddle?"

Severus answered with his own question. "Where is the diary?"

"I don't know." She looked him in the eyes. "It was stolen earlier this evening from my trunk. Who is he?"

"A student from long ago. He made poor choices…" Daisy nodded, figuring he was not someone of importance. "It's late. I will escort you back to your dormitory." Daisy momentarily wondered why Ron didn't need to be escorted as well. Severus felt a pit in his stomach. He didn't need to see the diary to know what kind of dark magic that was. An absolutely terrible fear had just been confirmed, and Severus would be headed immediately to the headmaster's office.

Daisy rose, she couldn't help to rub her eye with exhaustion as she followed the tall figure to Gryffindor tower. When they reached the tower, before Daisy said the password, she asked a question, "Professor, are you going to take points away from me as well?"

"I suppose I should subtract twenty points from Gryffindor for your actions since you reminded me." Daisy's face showed her regret. "Yet ten points should be rewarded to Gryffindor for your honesty this evening." Daisy didn't want to show how stunned she was. Was this really the same person that mocked her as being a celebrity for her entire first year?

"Goodnight, Potter."

"Night, Professor Snape.

The next day Hermione was finally able to leave the hospital wing. Daisy and Ron had quite a bit to fill her in on that she had missed while Madam Pomfrey was working on removing her final whiskers.

Except very little time had passed before Hermione was back in the hospital wing again. Daisy was about to walk onto the quidditch field on weekend morning when McGonagall stopped the team. The match had been cancelled. Daisy looked at the sky wondering if it was the weather, but it was a sunny early spring day. Ron caught her eye. He was standing with McGonagall. She looked at him quizzically, but he shrugged. Then McGonagall asked for Daisy and Ron to follow her.

Professor McGonagall led them to the hospital wing, warning them what they see may be a shock. However, Daisy was still horrified when she saw Hermione petrified. McGonagall told them how she was found with a mirror and another Ravenclaw girl was with her. But Daisy had no idea why. She knew that morning Hermione had an idea what the monster may be, but it wasn't the first time she had. It wasn't exactly rare for Hermione to rush to the library in search of answers.

Later that afternoon, McGonagall told everyone in the common room that no one was allowed to roam the halls alone anymore. Everyone would be escorted by a professor now, and if the culprit wasn't found soon then the school would be closing.

Daisy wasn't often inspired to go to the library, but the thought of her beloved school closing did such. That evening she went with a group of older students wanting to study for their OWLS and NEWTS to the library. At first she sat there, and then something struck her. The monster had to be something she could hear but no one else. It had to be a snake.

Two hours later, she knew it had to be a basilisk. It was the only monster that would explain the spiders and the petrifications. Except she didn't know how it was moving around the school or how the heir of Slytherin was controlling it.

The next morning she went to Potions after breakfast, but she didn't rush out of the room like the other Gryffindors did when it was over, not like they could actually leave the dungeons since they needed to wait for McGonagall to escort them to Transfiguration.

She stayed behind, slowly putting her items into her cauldron until the room was empty. When she noticed no one else was in the room, she heard the voice behind her. "Being extra meticulous about packing up today, Potter?"

"I need to talk to you."

His expression changed from amusement to intrigue. "Go on…"

"I know the monster in the chamber of secrets is a basilisk." She spoke confidently.

"Potter, you do not need to keep trying to solve the school's mysteries. You are going to get yourself hurt." He replied sternly but with a hint of concern.

"The school can't shut down!" Severus noticed the distress in her voice. "I didn't even do anything except read in the library. It makes sense with the spiders, and Hagrid told me his roosters have been killed, and no one looked it in the eyes, so that's why they've only been petrified!" Severus was silent. Then she added, "I haven't figured out why no one has seen it though before or who is controlling it."

"I will pass your information along, Potter. However, I must stress that you do not go trying to figure this out." She opened her mouth to object. "Trust me, we are doing our best to resolve this." Severus eyed her as he referenced the work of all the professors. "Now let me walk you to your next class, but it sounds like the corridor is empty."

Sure enough, he opened the door to leave the classroom, and it was deserted. They moved along the hallway of the dungeons and up to the main floor until Daisy stopped walking. Snape turned to her, instantly seeing the panic on her face. "I hear it." Her fearful eyes met his. She was not afraid for herself, it was for any group of students that may be nearby, now that she knew what would happen if anyone directly met its eyes.

In a swift motion, Severus pulled Daisy close to him. His arm wrapped around her, and his other hand held out his wand.

"Shut your eyes!" He ordered. She opened her mouth to protest, but he barked his order again.

She smelled the scent of various potion ingredients on his robes. It was soothing for her. It reminded her of working in her favorite class or even the moments she felt cared for. "I don't hear it anymore." She said muffled from being held closely against the side of his robes.

"Very well. You may open your eyes. If you hear the voice ever again, you must shut your eyes. I do believe you are accurate in discovering what creature lies within the school."

They walked in silence for a few minutes before they reached the Transfiguration classroom. "Remember what I said." She nodded and pushed the door open, hoping she wouldn't lose house points for being late.

However, only minutes later, Gryffindor lost something much more important than points. Professor Dumbledore entered the classroom. Daisy and Ron looked at each other quizzically, both wanting to know what was going on.

"Please continue practicing. I'll be back in a moment." McGonagall addressed the class, but Daisy and Ron could not go back to turning their mice into matchboxes now. They needed to know what was happening.

They looked at each other, wordlessly knowing what to do. While the rest of the class was preoccupied, they slipped out the door after McGonagall. Voices could be heard from around the corner, but nothing could prepare them for what they would overhear.

"Her skeleton will lie in the chamber forever." Albus spoke softly.

"Who, Albus?" Minerva's voice stuttered slightly from nerves.

"Ginny Weasley." Replied Severus.

Daisy looked at Ron. They poked their heads around the corner to see the message written on the walls in blood, just like the previous ones.

"I just thought of something." Daisy whispered as they heard Lockhart approaching the group of professors. "Didn't Tom Riddle say someone else died last time? What if they never left the school?"

"You don't think…" Ron whispered, and Daisy nodded as they overheard Lockhart say he was going to lead a rescue mission. "Let's go ask her."

The pair moved through the corridors quickly to ask Moaning Myrtle about her death. She momentarily flirted with Ron before admitting she died when she saw a pair of bright green eyes by the sink. "We need to tell Lockhart this! We found where the chamber is!" Ron spoke loudly as he felt hopeful there was a chance to save his sister.

Meanwhile, Severus was escorting Minerva back to her classroom, more out of manners than protection needed. While the missing two students may have gone ignored by the other students, it was the first thing McGonagall noticed.

"Where is Potter and Weasley?" She addressed the class. They looked around, astonished they had slipped away.

"I'll find them." Severus said under his breath to Minerva as she eyed him before returning to teach her class to the best of her abilities with all the perilous distractions happening in the school.

Severus began walking the corridors. He never realized how large the castle was, not until he was searching for someone. However, he wouldn't think to check where they actually were- in Lockhart's office.

Ron had disarmed Lockhart after he admitted to being a fraud. The two poked their wands into his back until he was led to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. After noticing a snake on the faucet of a sink and concentrating on speaking parseltongue, the sink moved to expose a massive pipe leading below.

They began pushing Lockhart to descend down the pipe, but at the last minute he snatched Daisy's ankle as they slid down the pipe together. Daisy's scream echoed through the pipe, bathroom, and out the corridor- where it met Severus Snape's ears.

Seconds later, Snape was in the bathroom. He saw Ron standing above the opening, grasping his wand and Lockhart's tightly. He quickly explained what had happened. Severus ordered him to stay where he was with his eyes shut.

Severus slid down below behind Daisy and Lockhart. Once he landed on his two feet below, he witnessed Lockhart cornering Daisy against a wall. He held Daisy's wand in his hand; she had dropped in on their way down the pipe.

A rage Severus didn't know was possible stirred within him at the sight of someone threatening Daisy. Only moments after he landed on his feet, before Lockhart even turned around fully, Severus had stunned him so powerfully that his body flew against the wall.

Instantly, Severus regretted allowing that much emotion into his curse. It was cast so strongly that Lockhart became unconscious, and a great deal of rock tumbled down from the eerie ceiling above. When the dust settled, he swore under his breath. Daisy was separated from him. Snape was stuck with an unconscious Lockhart. He grabbed Daisy's wand from beside Lockhart then began moving rock out of the way.

He couldn't work too quickly. He had shouted her last name, but had not heard an answer. He did not know if Daisy was alright on the other side. He couldn't risk hitting her with rock. Severus hoped it was just too thick to communicate verbally through it, and she was not knocked out by the flying debris. Additionally, he didn't want to create anymore noise and attract the basilisk's attention.

But Daisy was alright on the other side. The wall of rock was too thick to hear her name being called, and she needed to rush to Ginny anyways. It was not long before she found her, but her skin felt cold already.

Daisy heard talking behind her. "She is nearly dead." Daisy turned to see Tom Riddle, but he looked nearly to be in human form. At first Daisy pleaded him to help save Ginny before the basilisk returns. Although, she soon found out Tom Riddle had a different agenda as he explained the use of the diary and Ginny.

A gasp escaped her when she realized who it was before her. She now understood Snape's reaction when she asked about the name weeks prior. But she didn't have time to think about it. Riddle called the basilisk. It made sense to her that Voldemort was the heir of Slytherin.

Starting to panic, she looked around, not knowing where the basilisk would emerge from, but she also knew she needed to shut her eyes. Daisy was helped by Dumbledore's phoenix. Fawkes flew in from above, dropped the sorting hat near her, and he went on to crush the deadly eyes of the monster.

Not knowing what else to do, she shoved the sorting hat on her head, and she was nearly knocked out when something heavy landed with a clunk against the top of her skull. Removing the hat, she saw the sword of Gryffindor in her hand, and it wasn't long before she had to use it. The basilisk dove at her, but he missed without his vision.

Knowing she needed a better angle, she climbed up a statue that went up the wall of the chamber. This made her level with the basilisk, so that the next time it dove at her the sword seared through the roof of its mouth and into the head of the monster.

Relief swept over her as the creature sunk down onto the ground. However, the relief was momentary because she looked down at her arm to see a basilisk fang embedded into her skin. Her only focus was return to Ginny. She needed to save Ginny from Voldemort now.

Voldemort made cruel remarks about Daisy being with her mudblood mother soon. The pain was horrid, but she still managed to scowl at him. She didn't understand how anyone could use such a word. She was just as disgusted by it as when Malfoy started calling Hermione one this year.

Her pain didn't persist long. Fawkes let a few tears drip into the wound, and it instantly healed. She remembered reading about such healing properties once it happened. And once the pain was gone, Daisy was able to think clearly once again. She snatched the basilisk fang from beside her and dove it through the diary's cover. She couldn't tell if it was blood or ink, but a dark liquid poured from the pages. Daisy thought she heard footsteps coming, but she didn't want to be distracted. Holes appeared in Voldemort's chest as he looked at her in horror. Again, she stabbed the book, and finally Voldemort disappeared.

Ginny sat up with a gasp. Instantly, she admitted everything, being possessed, writing on the walls of the school, and knowing why everyone was being petrified. "I would seem to wake up and find myself in places I didn't remember going to."

Daisy didn't have the chance to respond to Ginny. "Potter!" Both girls turned to see Snape taking long strides across the large chamber to them. Daisy knew she was in trouble, house points and detention were basically guaranteed after this.

But that isn't what happened. Severus went on his knees and wrapped his arms around Daisy tightly, not caring about the young Weasley nearby. He was certain she was killed by his flying rock, and then he just saw her fight Voldemort. Additionally, he just realized Voldemort had created horcruxes.

"Professor, I'm okay." Daisy said muffled against his chest.

Severus regained his composure as they all stood. "We need to get to Professor Dumbledore's office. Your parents will be glad to see you, Weasley." The three walked back to the pipe's opening. Fawkes flew back near the ceiling to return to Dumbledore with the sorting hat in his talons. Daisy still carried the sword.

Severus transfigured the wide pipe into a stairwell. Lockhart was limp, clearly he had suffered a severe head injury. "What happened to him?" Daisy asked Snape.

"Nothing he didn't have coming." Snape replied coldly as he levitated the unconscious man behind them as they began climbing the stairs.

When they reached the top, Ron opened his eyes at the sound of their voices and grabbed his sister into a hug. He made a motion like he was going to hug Daisy, but then thought better of it. Twelve year old boys weren't keen on showing affection.

"We must head to Professor Dumbledore's office." The four made their way to the headmaster's office. Snape sent Lockhart floating down the corridor to the hospital wing alone. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were in tears to see their daughter again. Percy looked relieved as well and Fred too. George was beaming at Daisy.

When they arrived Ginny admitted what she had done again. Mrs. Weasley scolded Ginny for writing in such a diary, and she asked where she had even gotten it. Daisy took a better look at it and realized something. The day they all got their books for the school year was such a hectic blur, but she suddenly realized she saw Mr. Malfoy slip in into Daisy's cauldron.

"Potter should see Madam Pomfrey." Snape then stated. No one argued, even when Daisy said she felt fine. Daisy eyed Snape, but he only raised his brow at her knowing there was nothing she could do to argue it. And secretly she appreciated the fuss over her, never in her life had she experienced much of it. A warmth grew through her when others voiced concern for her.

Severus beckoned for Daisy to follow him, and she obliged. When they were alone in the corridors he spoke, "I see you felt the need to save the school once again."

Hesitantly, she looked up at him with a bashful expression. "Just Ginny really. Ron and I couldn't not do anything when we heard-" She stopped talking, realizing she was admitting to eavesdropping on the professors.

"I am already aware of how you received such information." Severus replied. "I recommend not leaving your classroom to follow a professor again." Luckily, she didn't need to respond because they reached the hospital wing. "Ah, I see Professor Lockhart arrived."

"Just a head injury, Severus?" Madam Pomfrey asked. "It's hard to decipher what is wrong with my patients when they come floating in the door unconscious."

"It appears you managed still." Severus sounded sly. "Please examine Miss Potter for any possible injuries."

Madam Pomfrey ushered Daisy to a bed and cast a spell, moving her wand from her head to toes. "Nothing more than some scrapes and bruises. She is free to go."

Then the door opened again with the majority of the Weasley family. Ginny needed to be looked at now, and Daisy wanted to leave, not wanting Mrs. Weasley to keep thanking her. She didn't crave that kind of attention.

"Let us go speak to the headmaster. You need to properly explain what happened after we were separated in the chamber." Snape leaned in and spoke. She nodded and rose from her bed as they both slipped out of the door.

As they walked to Dumbledore's office, she asked, "Professor, how did you know where the chamber was?"

"I heard your scream and found Mr. Weasley." He replied looking forward. "Potter, there is not much you do in this school that I am not aware of." Then he looked down with his brow raised. Daisy wondered if that meant stealing potion ingredients from him, but she did not ask.

When they made it to Dumbledore's office, it was just the three of them. Daisy explained how they followed McGonagall, how Ron helped her guess where the entrance was, finding Lockhart, Lockhart pulling her down, then fighting the basilisk with the help of Fawkes, and learning who Tom Riddle really was and what happened when she put the fang through the diary. She also mentioned who she thought gave the diary to Ginny.

Once she was done retelling her story, the office door opened and Lucius Malfoy walked in with a house-elf following behind. Daisy couldn't believe it since she had just spoken of the man. "Dobby? This is your master?" She looked at the elf. No one knew how she knew the elf, and Daisy didn't explain.

Lucius shared some choice words with Albus. Daisy had no idea, but Dumbledore actually was almost forced to step down as headmaster because of some petition created by Lucius. It wasn't long before Lucius left the office, clearly peeved.

"Professor, could I have that?" Daisy pointed to the diary on the desk.

"Of course." Albus replied, knowing what she was about to do.

Snatching the diary, she moved quickly from the room. She had to move fast if her attempt to free Dobby was going to work. Slipping a sock off, she put it in the pages of the diary. "Mr. Malfoy!" He stopped moving down the hallway. "I have something to return to you." He took the diary from her then tossed it to Dobby, even more annoyed.

"Open it." Daisy said beaming. Dobby opened the book to find the sock.

"Come along, Dobby." Lucius ordered, not looking behind him to see what had just occurred. But Dobby no longer needed to obey him. Dobby declared his freedom, and just as Lucius marched towards Daisy in rage, Dobby used his own magic to force his old master away from her.

"You will not harm Daisy Potter!"

With a powerful glare, Lucius looked at the two of them and left. Severus came down from the headmaster's office just in time to see Daisy speak to the elf and Lucius leaving. The elf then disappeared, and Daisy left to return to her dormitory. All she wanted was a shower.

Severus found what he was looking for. He picked up the tattered diary and returned to speak to Albus.

"You know what this is, don't you?" Severus placed the diary on the desk. Albus looked into his dark eyes and nodded. Both men were deeply concerned about what this diary meant. "Is there more than this one?"

Albus sighed, "I would like to think not, but more time will tell. One cannot fathom the destruction that would need to occur to create more than this…"

"He would be capable of it." Severus said plainly. Albus nodded, knowing that was the truth. "And we will return then…"

Looking deeply into the dark eyes again, "And your biggest concern is what he would then ask of you." Albus added vaguely, but Severus knew what he was speaking of.

"I have already made the mistake of letting her trust me. She knows I care for her, and in turn, he will order me to bring her to her death. I've been too foolish in showing my affection too publicly." Part of Severus hoped Voldemort would never return after his attempt at stealing the Sorcerer's Stone. Part of him hoped that was going to be his only return, but this horcrux proved otherwise.

Albus sensed the regret lacing Severus's voice. "There are ways around it."

"Are you saying you do not need a spy? And you think I can live more than a few days after betraying the dark lord?" Severus spoke sarcastically, feeling bitter. He suddenly had a flashback of when he first asked Albus for help. When he pleaded to keep Lily safe, not caring at all about what happened to James or Daisy…

"I am not saying either. But you are the best Occlumens I have ever encountered. It would not be difficult to craft an explanation." Albus looked tenser in his chair. "And an explanation may not be necessary as time goes by."

Severus eyed the man. He had not wanted to think about this.

Albus continued, "Daisy may want nothing to do with you if she ever learns of your own past, something that would come forward if Voldemort returns…"

Severus felt weak, but he nodded. He left the office knowing he would make the best of the time he had with Daisy looking up to him. Once Albus said it, there was no escaping the thought now. He knew his time was limited with her, and he wanted to appreciate all of it. She was the only living thing that reminded him of Lily- the only source of happiness in his life up until now.

The rest of the school year went by seamlessly. All the petrified students were returned to health. Severus watched as Daisy and Hermione were reunited, both hugging and crying in the great hall one morning. While over at the Slytherin table, a few select Slytherins were making comments about the failed attempt to rid the school of mudbloods.

Suddenly the last day of classes were upon everyone. Daisy has Potions with the Slytherins, and once again, she slowly packed her supplies into her cauldron while the rest of the room emptied- most of the students ecstatic to have a couple months free of Severus Snape.

"I see you lack a sense of urgency." Severus said as he walked up behind her, and he instantly knew something was wrong. Instinctively, he put a hand to her forehead. "Do you feel well?"

She sighed as she rolled her eyes at him smartly. He was momentarily reminded of her father, but the thought didn't linger. "I am just dreading go back to my relatives…"

Severus contemplated how to respond, but then he decided to go further with removing barriers in their relationship. "I was never fond of Petunia."

Her jaw dropped. "You know her?"

"Did I not mention I grew up down the street from your mother?" Her brown eyes grew rounder as she shook her head no. "I was nine when I met them both. Your mother was in my year."

"Did you know my dad then too?" She asked innocently.

However, the question felt like a slap in the face to Severus. He ignored the rage at the mention of James Potter and nodded. "I did not know him on a personal basis."

"Can you tell me about my mother?" She almost sounded pleading.

"Another time, you need to get to Transfiguration." He wanted to sit her down and tell her stories, but he surprised himself with the confession, and didn't think he could get into much detail without planning ahead. Ever since he saw Daisy as his own daughter in the Mirror of Erised, he found himself getting envious of James still with the slightest of ease.

"Why do you not like me last year?" She asked honestly as he led her to the door.

Severus didn't know how to reply. He wanted to paint himself in the best light. While he knew she could not always be attached to him for her own safety, part of him wanted to be there for her on such a level that she still trusted him after the truth about his death eater status came out.

The corner of his mouth turned up, "You Potions abilities are far better than they were when you first arrived." She scowled, not fully believing his answer but knowing she was not going to get anything much more descriptive. "Now get going to class. I'll see you next fall, Potter."

She smiled and left the room. Severus made his way over to his desk where he pulled out a page of parchment and addressed it to Molly Weasley. He was going to try his best for Daisy's stay at the Dursleys to be a short one.


	5. Year Three

Daisy's summer holiday started off as poorly as it could. Her uncle's sister came to visit, "Aunt Marge." And after she spent the entire time insulting Daisy's parents, Daisy accidentally made her turn into a human balloon that floated out the patio door and into the evening sky.

Luckily, the Weasley family was planning on asking Daisy to spent the holiday with them after receiving a letter from Severus Snape the day term ended. Thus, when Arthur was alerted of her underage magic use at the ministry, he was already planning on getting her in a couple days. Dumbledore requested that she was with them for at least two weeks.

Arthur found her as she was just about to walk out of the Dursley's home, trunk in hand. He had just gotten a portkey approved, and moments later she was at Ron's house. Daisy felt incredibly lucky since she was almost expelled for magic outside of school last year, and it wasn't even her fault. It was Dobby the house-elf.

In a matter of hours, her summer turned completely around. For the first time in her life she was able to celebrate her birthday. Mrs. Weasley got her various hair accessories such as ribbons and headbands, Daisy was grateful because she had never had any before. Ron got her a book on quidditch, and George got her earrings of little golden snitches.

The carefree summer holiday came to a halt when the Daily Prophet arrived one morning. A deranged looking man was on the cover. Sirius Black had escaped from Azkaban. Daisy didn't understand the level of fear Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had over this news. They were no longer to be outside during the day.

Daisy and Ginny stayed up that night whispering about why he would show up at the Weasley's household. They couldn't think of anything except Mrs. Weasley must be feeling extra worried.

It wasn't until September first when Daisy found out more about Sirius Black. Before she boarded the train back to Hogwarts, Mr. Weasley pulled her aside. "I need you to promise not to go looking for Sirius Black."

Daisy figured Snape must have told Mr. Weasley about her habit of saving the school. "I wouldn't go looking for a murderer."

Arthur looked as though he was struggling to decide what to say. "Molly doesn't want me telling you this, but Black may try and find you. He was a death eater. It came as a shock to all of us, but we found out his alliance when your parents died." He looked around to see if Molly was nearby. "He may want to seek revenge."

"Arthur, the train!" Molly shouted at the pair.

"Go, go!" Arthur added. "Have a good term!"

Daisy nodded, thanked him for everything and boarded the train after one final hug from Mrs. Weasley.

When she jumped onto the train, Hermione and Ron were waiting for her. Daisy told them she had something important to tell them, and it had to be privately. They walked up and down the train until the found the closest thing to an empty compartment. There was a sleeping man in it, but it was the best they could do.

Daisy told them what Mr. Weasley just shared with her. Hermione and even Ron looked worried, but soon the trolley came around, and the concerns slipped their mind as the train travelled north.

Except the train halted to a stop prior to reaching the grounds. The three of them looked to each other with concerned expressions.

"Something is out there…" Ron whimpered as he looked out the window of the train, and moments later and hooded figure opened the door to their compartment. Daisy didn't have much of a chance to look at what entered. She heard a scream before falling to the floor unconscious.

When she awoke, her two friends were looking at her with worried expressions, and the sleeping man was now awake. "Here, eat this." He handed her some chocolate. "It will make you feel better. I promise." Earlier Hermione saw on his luggage that he was a professor. They figured he must be the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, so Daisy did not take a bite of the chocolate. She was yet to have a professor of that subject not try and harm her.

"I need to go speak to the conductor." He stated to them all before looking at Daisy, "Eat some." Then he left the room, and she took a nibble. Instantly, she felt a sensation of warmth crawl over her.

"What happened?" She asked.

Hermione and Ron explained that a dementor entered. Ron needed to explain to Daisy what dementors were. They told her it was checking for Sirius Black, and then Professor Lupin sent it away.

"Who was screaming?" She asked.

Hermione and Ron looked at each other before Hermione answered. "No one was."

Daisy sighed, leaning back in her seat. She was not thrilled another year had started, and she was hearing things no one else was again. The only sense of relief came from knowing she would soon be at school and able to talk to Professor Snape about this.

There was a couple hours after dinner and before curfew began. Daisy told Hermione and Ron she was going to the library. They both knew who she was going to see. Near the end of last year Snape ceased being exceptionally cruel to the both of them. He now treated them as subpar Slytherins.

She made her way down from her common room to the dungeons. She felt a sense of excitement as she knocked on his office door. "I wondered if you'd stop by." He said with the smallest of smiles.

"I need to talk to you." She stated as he beckoned her into his office. She walked to the chair next to his desk and sat down. He sat in the black Queen Anne styled chair behind his own desk.

"What is bothering you." He asked calmly.

Looking him in the eye, she asked, "Are dementors part snake?"

"Not the least." He replied, but that was clearly not the answer she was hoping for since she slumped in the chair, her brow creased. "I heard it did not go well on the train for you."

"I heard someone screaming, and no one else heard it. I wasn't sure if they were speaking parseltongue."

Severus felt a sickening chill because he knew who's scream she had heard.

"How much do you know about dementors?" He asked.

"They guard Azkaban and they…" She trailed off, not knowing anymore.

Severus continued for her. "They guard the prison by keeping the prisoners too weak to escape. Dementors have the ability to bring forth one's worst memories." She still looked at him confused. "You reacted the way you did because your worst memories are far worse than any of your friends. You have experienced true horrors in your past."

"You mean, that was my mother's scream?" She looked at him questioningly. He nodded. She paused, seeming to take it all in. "How did Sirius Black escape?"

She noticed the look of annoyance that crossed his face. "We all wish we knew that answer to that, but I need you to promise me you will not stray alone until he is caught. He is dangerous, and he may return to Hogwarts-"

"Yeah, I heard he wants to murder me. At least this year I have a head's up on who it is that wants me dead."

Severus eyed her with an amused expression. "You have yet to promise me you will be careful. Do not be alone outside the castle."

"I promise." She replied not sounding all too serious.

Severus smirked. "Now get to your bed before I have to give you detention. My office is about to be packed with homesick first years."

"See you tomorrow, Professor Snape." She smiled as she left him. When she was gone he leaned back in his chair, glad she was back.

The school year began with stress for Daisy. In her first class back, it was predicted she was going to die in her new elective class- Divination. Then her first Defense Against the Dark Arts class went well until Professor Lupin did not allow her to attempt the bogart.

By the time she was in Potions after Care of Magical Creatures with Hagrid, her mood had plummeted. Not even a ride on a hippogriff eased her new knowledge of death being around the corner, and it didn't help that Malfoy got injured, so she was worried about repercussions for Hagrid.

Severus asked her to stay after class. Daisy figured it must be from her dreadful potion. She hadn't performed so poorly since her first class after he addressed her as a celebrity to the classroom.

He pulled a stool, so he was sitting across the table from her. "What is going on today?"

She sat with her head in her hand, looking despondent. "Sirius Black is going to kill me soon."

When she didn't hear a reaction, she looked up. "Explain, Potter." Daisy confessed what Professor Trelawney spotted in her tea leaves. Finally, Severus actually gave a small laugh for the first time in over a decade.

She looked at him horrified and possibly near tears. "I was not expecting you to find my death so humorous!"

Severus stopped his laugh, but a smile remained on his face. "Professor Trelawney has been teaching her for over a decade. Each year she predicts a student to die. None of those students have." She looked relieved. "You did not hear this from me, but it is a daft subject, and she is talentless."

Daisy looked shocked to hear such a confession, but she appreciated it because it truly eased all her worry. However, what Severus said was not entirely true. He knew she got the job after creating a prophecy, a prophecy he overheard and took to Voldemort. The prophecy that made Daisy an orphan with a lightning bolt scar.

After she left Snape's office for dinner, the castle got quite eventful. Daisy was talking to Hermione and Ron about how she was not going to die soon as they walked with a group back to their common room, but they all stopped once they saw the portrait hole.

"Where is the Fat Lady?"

"What happened?"

"Her canvas is slashed!"

Questions and observations passed through the crowd of Gryffindors. It was only a few minutes before Albus Dumbledore made his way through the crowd.

"She's in the painting over there!" Dean Thomas announced.

Dumbledore made he way to where she was hidden in another portrait. He talked to her gently as Minerva McGonagall now broached his side. He looked worried as he whispered something to McGonagall, and then Dumbledore moved quickly away from the crowd.

"We are returning to the great hall!" McGonagall announced to the crowd who looked confused. By the time they reached the great hall, the Slytherins were already there and the Hufflepuffs. They could heard what must be the Ravenclaws approaching as well.

"What's going on?" Daisy asked Hermione. The tables were vanished, instead the room was full of small tables and couches. It was as though it were one giant common room.

Daisy looked to see what other professors were present. It looked as though the head of each house was present. Then she saw McGonagall closing the giant doors of the great hall with her wand. Gears seemed to turn and lock the doors.

She looked around the room again until her eyes found Snape. He was already watching her closely. McGonagall made her way to the front of the room. "Sirius Black was sighted in the castle tonight. You are all to remain here tonight. Sleeping arrangements will be transfigured once we near curfew. Homework due tomorrow will be extended one day. However, if you have your bags with you, tables are setup to work at."

Daisy snickered, no one was going to work on homework after hearing Sirius Black was in the castle. Hermione and Ron beckoned her over to an empty corner where they began to whisper about how he could have gotten past the dementors. Even Hermione, who took her book bag everywhere, could not be expected to work on her own homework tonight.

When the sun had set outside the castle, McGonagall rose from where she was sitting with Snape, Flitwick, and Sprout. She began transfiguring the couches and tables into thick and plush sleeping bags on the floor. When that was completed, with one final flick, the students all wore pajamas.

"The castle is still being searched. No harm will come of you in here. Please get ready for bed. The lights will being going out in fifteen minutes." Professor Sprout addressed the room.

The golden trio grabbed their sleeping bags and dragged them to the corner of the great hall, so they could continue to whisper without being overheard. At least until the Weasley twins and Ginny joined them.

Daisy did not see, but Severus was eyeing George Weasley as he plopped onto his sleeping bag near Daisy, too close to Daisy for Severus's comfort, but there was nothing he could do about it.

Finally the lights went out. The great hall was completely dark except for the stars shining through the windows and the artificial stars shining in the hall's bewitched ceiling. The professors remained sitting at the table near the front of the hall. They had been instructed to remain there until further instructions.

Finally all the students found sleep. Daisy found herself awoken when she heard voices whispering by her in the middle of the night.

"What do you mean you didn't find him?" Without opening her eyes, she knew Severus was angered.

"We do not know what happened, but the portrait was being truthful. He was here." Albus sighed.

"Is she safe here?" Severus questioned.

"More than she would be anywhere else… Let her sleep for now..."

Daisy fell back asleep while Albus continued to speak, and in the morning she didn't remember overhearing said conversation.

A few days had passed, and she actually was dreading the upcoming weekend. It was the first Hogsmeade weekend, and she would not be able to attend with her lack of guardian's approval on the form. After everyone ate together, she said her goodbye to Hermione and Ron. Then she made her way wandering around the castle.

She stood alone on a bridge within the castle when she heard footsteps coming up to her, she looked to see a professor walking towards her, but not the professor she usually encountered.

"Professor Lupin."

"Not permitted to go to Hogsmeade I see, Miss Potter?"

She shook her head and explained that she didn't get her form signed. He tried to make her feel better by diminishing the experience, but she still wished she could be with her friends.

"I am not sure if you are aware, but I knew your parents. You look so much like your mother, but I can see your father in your eyes. They are identical. That is how I knew who you were when I first saw you."

"Really?" She asked. She had no idea what features she gained from what parent, and she also had no idea her professor knew them.

After a bit more light conversation, she asked, "Professor, why did you not let me go against the bogart in our first lesson?"

Remus looked surprised, "I would have thought that to be obvious." She looked at him confused. "I did not think it wise to have Lord Voldemort's form enter the classroom."

"I did think of Voldemort at first, but then I remembered the dementors."

Lupin complimented her on her wisdom of being afraid of fear itself, and then he asked, "Do you know why they affect you so?"

She nodded, surprising him again. "Professor Snape told me it's because I've experienced things that my classmates have not."

Remus tried to not let his bewilderment show. He had no idea Daisy was even friendly with Severus. Remus never encountered the two interacting, but he knew it must be friendly if she broached him on the concern.

Daisy interrupted his thoughts, "You made the dementor leave on the train? Can you teach me that spell?"

Lupin was hesitant, but he eventually agreed. Starting on the next Hogsmeade weekend, she would begin. They soon parted, and she made her way back to the Gryffindor common room.

But again she was interrupted. "We've got something you could use."

She looked slyly at the Weasley twins, her heart fluttering when she made eye contact with George.

"We bestow upon you the secret to our success…" George began.

"And how you can get away to Hogsmeade." Fred added as George held out an old piece of parchment.

"What's this rubbish?" Daisy replied, knowing the two could be pranking her somehow.

"What's this rubbish, Fred?" George said shaking his head, and then winking at her.

"George, if you will…"

"Absolutely, Fred." And George pointed his wand at the parchment. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

Daisy read aloud the words that appeared, and then her expression was complete astonishment as she saw the black dots of everyone in the school moving about. Fred explained how she would leave the castle, and George looked hesitant to agree. After George eyed her to use the map for her safety as well, the twins parted with Daisy, who rushed to the common room to inspect the map further.

She woke up the next weekend in the hospital wing with her team, who told her they had lost to Hufflepuff. The last thing she remembered was falling off her broom. Apparently Cedric Diggory caught her and returned her to the ground safely.

She couldn't help but to smile when she saw George at her side, but her smile was instantly gone when Ron brought her the Nimbus 2000 she was given in her first year.

The next few weeks were uneventful until everyone left once again for Hogsmeade. Daisy met with Professor Lupin, who had a bogart for her to practice on. After three attempts, she finally was able to produce a milky white substance from the tip of her wand, but it only slightly pushed back the dementor. Nonetheless, Lupin was pleased, and they spent the last few minutes of the meeting discussing her father and Remus's friendship with him. However, Remus did not mention Sirius or Peter….

Professor Lupin was unavailable the following Hogsmeade weekend. Daisy wondered where he was at since he was not even teaching his classes during the week leading up to it. Professor Snape came in instead and dismantled their syllabus by changing the work to be about werewolves.

"Professor, we aren't supposed to study werewolves for another two months." Daisy added as Severus began the lecture.

"Miss Potter, I do not believe you are the instructor of this class." He raised a brow at her, and she didn't speak again.

Since she was essentially free that weekend, Daisy decided to take Fred's advice to leave the castle. With her invisibility cloak over her, and the Marauder's Map in hand, she left, and it wasn't long before she met up with Hermione and Ron.

In the Three Broomsticks, she drank a butterbeer under her cloak with Hermione and Ron. They saw a few of their professors whispering a few tables over with the minister, and since Daisy was invisible, she decided to see what they were saying.

She never would have expected to hear what she heard. McGonagall, Flitwick, Hagrid, and Fudge were saying. That day she learned that her father was best friends with no just Remus, but also Peter and Sirius. To top that, she learned that Sirius was responsible for her parent's deaths, and he was her godfather.

Daisy felt sick at this news. It all suddenly made sense. She understood why Sirius Black was after her now. He wanted to finish what he started. Once she overheard this, she left Hogsmeade and returned to the castle and her dormitory and her bed.

Eventually, the winter was behind them. Once again Remus had to postpone their lessons because he was ill for the week. So once again, she decided to sneak into Hogsmeade.

And Daisy was successful. She met up with Hermione and Ron. She even got some revenge on Malfoy in a snowball fight with the remaining snow on the ground that had not yet melted. Her hatred for him was even stronger since the trouble he put Hagrid through because of a Care of Magical Creatures lesson gone wrong.

Except it ended terribly when the hem of the invisibility cloak got caught on a tree stump, and the hood fell off to reveal her head floating in midair.

Draco gasped. Hermione and Ron tried to pretend he imagined it, but Draco was already running back to the school with his two goonies trailing behind. Draco was never going to miss an opportunity to snitch on Daisy.

Daisy ran back as well. She hoped her secret pathway would be quicker than Draco's route to the school. She just needed to get back to the castle first.

Soon she was slipping through the trapdoor in Honeydukes, and racing down the dark hallway. As she ran, she stuffed the cloak into her leather messenger bag.

When she reached the end of the tunnel, she checked if anyone was on the other side of the statue that secretly led outside the castle. No one was there, but Snape was approaching it. Vanishing the map of its contents, she climbed out of the statue and tried to casually walk down the hallway.

"Potter!"

She froze. That was not the tone used to normally speak to her.

"Hi, Professor." She tried sounding cheery as usual, but she was also trying to hide that she was out of breath.

"What are you holding?"

She felt sick as she realized what was still in her hands. "Just some parchment."

"Then you won't mind handing it over." He said silkily. Then he added more harshly, "As you follow me to my office."

The door slammed shut when they both were inside. "Sit." He ordered curtly, and she sat down in the chair by his desk. "I have become aware that your head was in Hogsmeade this afternoon. Do you have any idea why?"

"Not the foggiest, sir." She replied timidly, trying not to show her guilt on her voice.

"What would your head have been doing in Hogsmeade, Potter?" said Snape softly. "Your head is not allowed in Hogsmeade. No part of your body has permission to be in Hogsmeade."

She didn't respond. He put a hand on each arm of the chair and bore his eyes into hers. "I know you were in Hogsmeade. Do not think for a moment that I am not aware you are in possession of your father's cloak."

It was as though staring into the eyes that resembled James Potter triggered something for Severus. "How extraordinarily like your father you are, Potter," Snape said suddenly, his eyes glinting. "He too was exceedingly reckless. He did whatever he wished while he was a student. He paid no attention to rules or safety." He stood back up again and sneered, "The resemblance between you is uncanny."

If it were possible, Daisy felt worse than she had when he was initially raising his voice. He turned from her to the

Placing the map before him on the desk, "Reveal your secrets…"

Daisy instantly knew she was in worse trouble. Snape's expression was even worse when he read what the map had shown him, and she had a feeling it was something other than the map's actual purpose.

However, there was a urgent sounding knock on the door that interrupted them. He glared at her before opening the door on the other side of the office to reveal Remus Lupin- who appeared dreadful looking.

Severus was expecting him since the full moon had recently ended, and he usually needed potions to help regain his strength. Severus barked at Remus he would get him what he needed.

Except something caught Remus's eye- the map. Remus moved over to the desk and looked from the map to Daisy. "This appears to be quite full of dark magic, Severus. Where did you come across this?"

"Dark magic?" Severus scoffed as he removed a couple vials from his shelves.

"Would you mind if I inspect this, Severus? Better to be precautious with these things."

Severus rolled his eyes as he handed over the potions to Remus. "I'll see you in a few weeks." He sounded exceptionally dismissive. Remus nodded, looked at Daisy questioningly and then left the room.

Severus rounded on her again, but the fierce look in his eyes were no longer there, and Daisy appreciated the distraction, so she could regain her composure. She was holding back tears since the comment about her father.

Sighing, he took a seat, and then he spoke after some time, "You forget there is a mass murderer after you."

"I'm sorry…" She spoke softly.

"Go back to your dormitory." He finally grumbled, the regret of the comments about her father sinking in.

A few days later, during Defense Against the Dark Arts class, Daisy was asked to remain behind once everyone had left. Lupin pulled the map out from the inside of his cloak.

"You were fortunate Professor Snape did not know how to operate this. He would have had much more anger if he knew this existed, and knew the extent of the risk you have been putting yourself in."

"You know how to work the map?" She was astonished.

Remus wanted to tell her about his part with James and the map, but he knew that wouldn't be possible without admitting his connection to Sirius and Peter.

"I had utilized it when I was a student here. Where did you get this?" He replied.

Daisy did not want to admit the truth and create repercussions for the Weasley twins, so she quickly said she nicked it from Filch's desk- where the Weasley twins had obtained it.

"I will continue to hold on to this. I do not want to put you at risk by having this get into the wrong hands." Remus tucked the map back into his cloak.

The tone of his voice made Daisy aware the conversation was over. He just wanted to discover where she obtained the map, so she turned to leave.

But she paused. She remembered something she saw late on the map one night. Daisy had not even mentioned it to Hermione and Ron. "Professor, I think the map made a mistake."

Remus looked at her quizzically. "The map never lies."

"I saw Peter Pettigrew on the map." She replied.

He tilted his head slightly as though he was thinking. "That's not possible."

"It's what I saw." She repeated softly before turning to leave. She went directly to find Hermione and Ron to tell her what she saw and how Remus reacted to it. However, it took her a few hours before she ran into Hermione. Daisy and Ron had been feeling as though Hermione was disappearing and popping up suddenly all year.

The next couple of months went by smoothly. It wasn't long before Severus had returned to his usual preferential treatment of not addressing her in class, but they had not talked alone since Severus made the remarks about her father.

And the remarks Severus made stayed with Daisy. Since she knew Remus was close to her father, she asked one day during their lessons why Severus did not like her father.

Once again, Remus had to withhold the truth from her. Briefly he explained that a student planned a poor joke on him, and James told Severus before Severus may have lost his life to the joke. Remus did not disclose that it was Sirius's joke, and James saved Severus from running into Remus in werewolf form.

As the temperatures kept increasing, the end of the school year kept sneaking up on everyone. Soon quidditch was over, and final exams were approaching. During one of the last days of Divination, Daisy found herself alone with Professor Trelawney. She had returned to the empty classroom to give her a crystal ball she found on the steps leading up to her tower.

And when she turned to leave, she was horrified. In a voice that did not sound as though it belonged to the professor, she boomed in a deep voice about how a servant would be reunited with his master once again. Then she stopped. With a hacking cough, her usual voice returned, and she had no memory of the prophecy she just made.

A few minutes later, Daisy caught up with Hermione and Ron. As they walked to their next class, she told them what had just happened. Neither knew what it could mean.

That night the Golden Trio knew they should go down to Hagrid's hut. It was the evening Buckbeak was to be executed. Anger filled Daisy as she thought about it. Her hatred of Draco Malfoy seemed to grow more each year she knew him.

When she didn't think her hatred could grow anymore, it still managed to. As the Golden Trio walked from the castle to towards Hagrid's hut, the saw Draco Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson hiding behind a boulder to witness the execution.

That is when Hermione surprised them all. She marched forward towards Draco, shouting insults the entire ten steps, before she punched him in the face. Blood spurted from Draco's nose as Pansy stood by looking agasp. "Leave!" Hermione bellowed and the two rushed off.

Daisy and Ron looked at each other with just as much surprise, and then the spent the next few minutes complementing Hermione. The made their way to Hagrid's hut, but they were not able to stay long- just long enough for Ron to find his rat he thought ran away. Soon they noticed the minister, headmaster, and executioner coming down the path.

Quickly, they rushed from the hut and hid behind some pumpkins before they managed to make their way to the castle. However, they never made their way to the castle. A giant dog, similar to the shape her tea leaves made in Divination, grabbed Ron by the ankle and dragged him away from Daisy and Hermione.

The two girls couldn't believe it. They shouted his name, but they knew they had to go after him. All three shouted for help as Ron was dragged along until he disappeared under the Whomping Willow.

Daisy and Hermione did not have the same luck getting under the tree. For some reason it seemed to pause its movements for Ron and the large dog, but for Daisy and Hermione, it was just as violent as it was when Daisy and Ron landed in that tree during their second year.

"Daisy, watch out!" Hermione shouted, but it was too late. A branch flew upwards, knocking Daisy in the chin. She felt her teeth bite hard into her bottom lip as her chin started to bleed slightly. And before Daisy could warn Hermione, a branch whipped across Hermione's cheek.

After they were both twacked by branches a few more times, they finally made their way under the tree. They stuck together closely as they made their way through a dingy hallway. Both girls had an idea of where they were headed, but neither wanted to vocalize it.

They looked at each other, both knowing they were in the Shrieking Shack. However, they kept following the trail Ron made as he was dragged through the thick layer of dust.

Once they entered the room and Ron saw them, he shouted, "Go back! It's a trap! He's an animagus!"

But the door slammed shut behind them. They turned around to be face to face with Sirius Black. Hermione instantly stood before Daisy, shouting that Sirius would have to kill all of them. Daisy looked to see that Ron still had his own wand sticking out of his pocket as he held his rat tightly. Sirius was unarmed.

Using all of her bravery she pulled her wand out and pointed it at the man. Sirius was laughing at this point, and Daisy didn't understand why. She opened her mouth to cast a spell, but her own wand was thrown from her hand as someone disarmed her.

Remus Lupin walked in. Horror came across Daisy's fast. She couldn't believe what had happened.

Hermione didn't seem as surprised, "I knew you were helping him!" Hermione had the suspicion since she found out about the marauders. "You're a teacher! We trusted you!" Then she turned to Daisy and Ron, "He is a werewolf. That's why he's been missing classes."

"My, my, Miss Granger, you really are the brightest witch of your age." Remus asked when she found out, and Hermione replied that she was aware since Professor Snape's essay was assigned.

Remus was not certain he had escaped from the castle alone. He heard the trio's cries, and he doubted he was the only one, especially since Severus always seemed to have a watchful eye for Daisy.

"Sirius Black did not betray your parents, Daisy." He put a hand up when she tried to object. "Peter Pettigrew did. Days before your parents were killed, Peter became the secret keeper, and he did not keep the secret. He went running to Voldemort with it."

"Peter Pettigrew is dead!" Daisy shouted, she felt afraid still even if she refused to show it.

Remus shook his head. "The map never lies. Similar to Sirius and your father, Peter was an animagus." Turning to Ron, "That rat has been in your family for an awful long time, hasn't it?"

Ron looked agasp.

Now Sirius spoke with his dirty teeth showing. "And he's missing a toe, isn't he?"

"All they found of Peter Pettigrew was his finger…" Hermione said plainly as Sirius and Remus explained they were all unregistered animagi to help ease the isolation of the werewolf transformation.

"Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs…" Remus said as they all realized who the creators of the map were.

Remus moved across the room, returned Daisy's wand to her, and he kept walking to Ron- to Scabbers.

Once again they were interrupted. Severus Snape entered the room. The grin on Sirius Black's face melted away, and relief swept over Daisy. Without thinking, Daisy moved towards Severus as he took steps to her until he had an arm protectively around her. The look on Sirius Black's face was a cross of repulsion and disbelief.

"Vengeance is sweet." Severus began. "The dementors will be thrilled to see you. They've been longing to _kiss you._ "

Severus raised his wand to bind Sirius, but Daisy stopped him. "Wait, I want to see if the rat is really Peter Pettigrew."

Sirius looked relieved and gave Daisy a faint smile. Severus eyed her but said nothing. Remus moved to Ron again, and after a few attempts of the spell, a pudgy man with his hands near his face like a rat cleaning its paws sat before them on the ground.

"Did you not think we would find you and kill you, Peter?" Sirius shouted, motioning for Remus to hand over his wand.

Peter looked around the room and saw Daisy. "Pretty girl, smart girl, you won't let them kill me, will you?" He moved towards her and reached out to touch her before Severus stepped forward and cast a spell that made it sound as though the tips of Peter's fingers reaching for her suddenly were electrocuted.

"Do not dare lay a single finger on her, Pettigrew." He sneered dangerously.

"Severus, you know how he is… You know you can't deny-" Peter began. Daisy had no idea what he was speaking of, but it didn't matter because Severus snapped once again for silence.

Sirius now had Remus's wand in his hand. Peter was surrounded with nowhere to go. Sirius raised the wand-

"Wait!" Daisy shouted. "If you kill him then you will only be send back to Azkaban for his murder. If he is turned in…" She paused, looking at the sullen eyes of Sirius Black, "Then you will be a free man." Peter thanked Daisy, but she did not show any mercy and spat, "The dementors can have you."

Sirius realized she had a point and nodded, giving her the slightest of smiles. This meant she believed him.

"Let's return to the castle." Remus said. Severus glared at them all. He loathed following their instructions, but they all were aware Daisy had a power over him that Lily had as well. It was as though she forced the good out of him.

Hermione helped Ron up as Sirius held Peter's arm. Remus kept his wand on Peter. Severus had not let Daisy leave his side as they all exited the Shrieking Shack and moved down the long dusty corridor that led to the Whomping Willow.

When they met the late summer's night air, Remus thought it would be a good idea to bind Peter in ropes since they were no longer in such a confined space.

And they were all incredibly fortunate he had the idea, because just seconds later, the moon came out from behind the clouds. Severus had not followed them that evening due to hearing Daisy and Hermione's shouts like Remus had. Severus merely saw Lupin leaving the school with the sheet of old parchment in his hands before Severus even went to deliver Remus's monthly potion.

Remus dropped his wand. Daisy for a moment didn't realize what was happening. Sirius moved to Remus, grasping the front of his robes as though it was a last attempt to keep Remus from transforming.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Peter try and wiggle to Remus's wand. "Accio wand!" Remus's wand came flying towards her before Peter had the chance to snatch it.

"Stay back." Severus ordered as Remus became a full grown werewolf. He stood before Hermione and Ron, but Daisy was still tucked under his arm.

Sirius now transformed into a dog, leading Remus safely away from the group. Daisy knew the risk he was putting himself into though. Not just the risk of being with Remus, but the risk of being on the grounds that were full of dementors.

An echo of a dog's cry was carried across the ground, and Daisy took off. Severus was not expecting her escape, so when he tried to grab her arm, she was already gone.

"Daisy! Get back here!" Severus snarled. She heard him use her first name, but she kept running to the sound. Severus turned on Hermione and Ron. "Get to the castle." Then he cast a patronus. The doe pranced across the grounds and then into the air until it reached the headmaster's window, and it disappeared through the glass. Before he chased after her, he cast a final spell on Peter, sticking him to the ground until Albus arrived.

"Potter!" He shouted her name as he moved near the lake, hoping to get a response. When the lake came into view he saw what was happening. Sirius was in human form near the edge of the water. She stood above him, casting a patronus. A stag pranced around the two of them, but it was not much of a barrier.

Severus cast his own patronus, his doe was able to defend the two, and all the dementors flew from the area. Daisy looked at him for a moment, but then she fell to her knees and fainted after trying her best repeated times against the dementors.

Before she hit the ground, Severus caught her. "Get up!" He barked at Sirius while kicking him in the side. Immediately, he woke up. The dementors had only slightly gotten to him.

Sirius had his eyes open and was looking up and the Potions Master with a mad laugh. "I see you obey the little Potter's orders well."

"I said get up." Severus didn't entertain the comment.

They walked together for a few paces before Sirius spoke again. "How did you manage to get on Potter's good side? She obviously must not know much of your past? Only been wearing long-sleeves around her?"

Severus turned onto him. "Do not forget that I am the only one with a wand, and the dementors may return before we reach the castle. That silenced Sirius. Since it was late in the night now, they did not have to worry about running into students in the halls, and they made their way to the headmaster's office with no distractions.

Severus sat Daisy down in a chair and grabbed some chocolate from the headmaster's desk. Albus told them he sent Hermione and Ron to the hospital wing. Peter was no longer in robes, but he was under another charm that left him frozen to the spot.

Daisy was opening her eyes once she smelled the chocolate. By now she knew to just have a bite when it was offered. A knock came at the door and the minister entered with a few officials Daisy did not know. McGonagall entered as well, her face showed the shock she was experiencing.

After an hour of explaining, Sirius Black was a free man, and Peter Pettigrew was sentenced to the dementors. It was midnight now, and Daisy was told to return to her dormitory. Sirius offered to escort her. Before Severus could snap something, she nodded. She wanted to speak to him.

They were silent until they reached the portrait hole. "You know, you are technically my goddaughter. If you ever wanted you could live with me."

She smiled and nodded before entering the common room; she was incredibly tired. But for the first time, she was not dreading the upcoming summer.


	6. Year Four Part One

_A/N: I did not plan on straying far from the books at all, but I just couldn't find myself to write Sirius not freed. It seems everyone enjoyed the change though! :)_

Daisy's third year ended smoothly. Although Albus Dumbledore seemed reluctant of the idea, Daisy was to be picked up at King's Cross by Sirius Black- her legal godfather. They had not seen each other in a week or so since the night Sirius was proven innocent. Daisy had a hard time staying focusing on her exams due to her excitement of never returning to the Dursley's again.

However, before leaving the classroom of her Potions exam, Professor Snape asked her to stay behind.

"I've heard you will being staying with Black this summer." He spoke as he organized the pile of exams before him.

"I don't know him, but anywhere has to be better than the Dursley's." He could hear the excitement in her voice, but knowing her well, he could also hear it was slightly laced with apprehension. "And since he is my godfather, he has to be the person my parents would have wanted me with."

Severus finally looked up from the pile of exams. "If you need anything, you may always send your owl." All Severus saw was Lily when she smiled the way she was as she thanked him. "Do not hesitate. Black may have some rough edges from over a decade of imprisonment." He did not want to speak poorly of Black in front of Daisy unless Daisy felt negatively towards her new guardian, but he had deep-rooted fears about what Black may inform Daisy on in regards to Severus's past.

When Daisy first saw Sirius again, she almost missed him. His hair was no longer mangey. It felt evenly at his shoulders, and his facial hair was well groomed. He wore dress slacks with a pinstriped shirt, and he wore a wide grin when he saw her with her friends.

Although the Daily Prophet told the news of his innocence, there were still many shocked looks of those that recognized him on the platform. Mrs. Weasley seemed hesitant to let Daisy go, even after a very pleasant interaction with Sirius. And Mrs. Weasley was currently unaware Sirius was responsible for Ron's broken leg. In fact, Ron never planned on telling that injury to his mother. He could do without the fret.

Sirius's home was a short walk from the station. Sirius was aware of the lessened protection she would have without her mother's blood relative in the home, so Sirius made the best efforts possible to make his home as safe as Privet Drive. Albus was the secret keeper for Sirius's location, and so far only the three of them knew the location as she entered the house of Thirteen Grimmauld Place.

It was clear a large amount of work had been done recently. The wood floors in the entry looked freshly polished, and the walls still smelled like fresh paint, so she knew the dark red must not have been there previously. Little did she know, Sirius had spent the entire week removing any remaining memento from his family that lived there previously, which included freeing the wretched house-elf.

Grand light fixtures came down from the tall ceilings, and heavy pristine curtains hung in the windows. Every room seemed to have a fireplace and antique furniture. They made casual conversation as he led her to her room. It was furnished with an oak bedroom set. A large window looked out onto the streets of London below. The walls were a soft yellow color. Sirius stopped levitating her trunk behind him, so she could unpack.

And Daisy had not enjoyed a summer more before in her life. The two of them explored the open markets of London and got to know each other better as they spent many afternoons listening to the muggle records for sale. Sirius's many tattoos even made Daisy wish for one, but she was only allowed a henna one and a few ear piercings for her birthday. It was as though she finally felt relaxed for the first time in her life.

Eventually she approached the topic of why Snape hated her father and Sirius so much, and Sirius provided much clarity of the mistakes of his youth, but with a tone that had no resentment in it. Sirius forced himself to sound even regretful when he spoke of the trick that almost occurred of Severus running into Remus in werewolf form.

Sirius often debated if he should tell Daisy of Severus's past, but he didn't want to show Daisy his own immature ways of not letting things go. He knew it would be explosive when she found out, and she may feel as though everyone lied to her- not just Severus. But part of Sirius had grown to care for Daisy so much that he did not want to tell her because he didn't want to hurt her like he knew the news of his past would.

Nearing the end of the summer, she woke up in the middle of the night, her scar searing in pain. She had just experienced a dream that felt so real. She watched Lucius Malfoy take orders from Voldemort, and Voldemort was the size of an infant sitting on a large chair in an abandoned house. Then Voldemort killed a man! He killed the old gardener that had approached the two.

She wiped the sweat from her brow with her sleeve and slipped from her bed. Her barefeet was the only sound in the house as she moved down the hall to Sirius's bedroom. After knocking on the door, she entered. She whispered his name in the dark, and a lamp went on bedside the bed.

"What is it?"

She sat down at the foot of the bed with her legs crosses and told him of the dream.

"That must be all that is left of him after your first two encounters…" Sirius spoke more to himself. It was clear he wasn't even sure how Voldemort kept returning. Daisy plopped backwards on the bed, her red hair fanned out around her. Sirius didn't know what to say to her. He didn't want to lie or make her feel as though she was overreacting.

He finally stated, "I'm going to write to Dumbledore." When she didn't respond he looked closer at her, and she had fallen back asleep already. "Love you, kid." He whispered again before leaving her to sleep the rest of the night away on his own bed.

The final week of the summer was spent at the Weasley's. Mr. Weasley got tickets for the Quidditch World Cup for the trio, Ginny, and the twins. Daisy was excited to see George again. She knew she looked different now. She had a wardrobe of trendy vintage muggle clothes now, and her hair often had thin long braids in it, often with a few beads on the ends, and when she pulled her hair up, a henna stag was outlined on the back of her neck. She wanted a snitch, but that wasn't something she could ask the muggle street artist to draw.

Sirius drove his new motorcycle to the Burrow with Daisy on the back. George was the first to spot her out the window, and he was surprised at what he saw. He was not expecting a girl that had grown a few inches and lost years of worry to walk up to his house. When he opened the door, he nervously greeted her, and Daisy replied with just as much nerves. Sirius eyed George, suddenly incredibly aware of his intentions.

The Golden Trio spent a few nights at the Weasley house, and Daisy and Hermione accidentally set off some Weasley Wizard Wheezes products that were floating around the house. Daisy was not surprised to hear about the twins ambition to open a joke shop. She didn't want to complicate things with George, but she even thought of lending them some of her own gold, so they could properly get started.

Finally the day of the Quidditch World Cup arrived. Mr. Weasley had gotten tickets from someone at work that Daisy had never heard of before. Everyone except Bill, Charlie, and Percy left early that morning to get to the portkey. Daisy was quickly not fond of Cedric Diggory's father- who was also using the portkey with Cedric. He made so many remarks that even George was giving Mr. Diggory a glare before the portkey transported them.

Daisy was amazed at how high up they were, nothing could slight her mood- not even Hermione's comments about house-elf treatment since there was a house-elf nearby them that was clearly terrified.

And the game was phenomenal. Daisy was amazed at the abilities the seeker Viktor Krum had. The spend the entire evening celebrating- until it all came to a sudden halt. Mr. Weasley asked the twins to quiet down, something wasn't right outside the tent. It didn't sound like celebrating.

They all left the tent to see individuals in black cloaks and masks spinning the muggles that were working the campground into the air. "Somebody stop them!" Hermione exclaimed.

Then out of nowhere, Draco Malfoy appeared next to them. "I'd keep your mouth shut, Granger. Don't want to attract attention to yourself, or you'll be up there too. Mudbloods are worse than muggles in my opinion-"

"Then keep your opinions to yourself. Trust me, no one would be missing out if you did." Sneered Daisy as she stood near Hermione. Draco scoffed and walked off since she was followed by Ron and George.

But suddenly chaos broke out. The masks individuals started casting spells at the crowd. Everyone was racing around. George put an arm around her and tried leading her away, but someone ran at them, breaking them apart, and Daisy found herself alone in the screaming group of witches and wizards. She tried her best to get away, and finally she went into the forest nearby to escape it all.

Luckily, Hermione and Ron had the same idea, the three were together again. Just when they thought they could relax, the sky above them was illuminated by a green light as they heard a spell they didn't know being exclaimed by a man nearby. The dark mark was above them.

Daisy reached in her back pocket to defend herself now, since Sirius had told her about the mark of the summer. She new she needed to be prepared for anything now, but her wand was gone. Then ten witches and wizards appeared surrounding them. The three ducked to avoid their spells.

"That's my son!" Mr. Weasley was among the group.

They explained what happened, and as a few of them searched the area for who conjured the mark. They did not find the man, but they found Daisy's wand in the grass. Cornelius Fudge used a spell that determined the dark mark had been conjured with her wand, but the trio convinced him Daisy was not in possession of it when the spell was cast. Finally he believed that Daisy Potter would not have cast the spell that represented Voldemort.

Mr. Weasley arranged for a portkey to take them home immediately. He knew Molly would be anxious for their return, and Arthur didn't exactly feel safe having anyone at the site any longer.

The next morning, the mark's image was on the front page of the Daily Prophet. Everyone at the Weasley household took a look at it, and many miles away, Severus Snape was looking at it as well. He closely read Daisy's involvement, and then wished it were later in the day, so he could have something stronger than coffee.

Severus believed Dumbledore that Voldemort would return one day, and he was dreading it. Severus didn't even know how Daisy would react to him this fall. He thought for certain that she had heard months of slander about him from Sirius Black. He was already prepared for her to completely ignore him since she would most certainly know of his past by now.

But none of that occurred. She beamed at him when they made eye contact as she sat at the Gryffindor table when the first year were being sorted. He nodded back at her, not letting it show that he was just swept with relief. Then once he began to think calmly again, he started to notice the changes in her appearance. Daisy certainly looked as though Sirius had made quite the impression on her.

The first night at school was not the same as always though, Dumbledore made the announcement that there would be no quidditch because the school would be hosting the Triwizard Tournament. While Daisy, was disappointed in no quidditch, she didn't mind. Maybe for once she would have a relaxing sort of school year.

Her first class of the year was Defense Against the Dark Arts. She was not exactly a fan of her new professor. He showed them all the Unforgivable Curses, and made the effort to point out Daisy's sole survival of the killing curse. Furthermore, he tried the Imperious Curse on all the Gryffindors, and Daisy was found to be the only one that could fight it. A voice was telling her to jump on her desk, and she didn't want to, so she managed to hop into it and flopped on the floor. Moody released the spell as she felt the burning crash on her shins and the landing onto the hard ground.

Everyone was silent as they made their way to the dungeons for Potions. Severus had a hard time finding reasons to scold the class since they kept to themselves so well. Even Neville seemed bothered by something deeper than Professor Snape glaring at his cauldron.

"Potter, stay behind." Snape instructed as the rest of the class was dismissed. When the room was empty, he walked over to her desk since she did not approach him. He sat down on the tall stool next to her and asked, "What happened before this class?"

"I don't like Moody." She replied.

" _Professor_ Moody." Snape corrected. "And why not."

"He showed us the Unforgivable Curses and-"

"He what?" Daisy had never seen Severus look stunned before, but he looked that now.

"That is not the worst of it. He went on for ten minutes about how I survived the killing curse cast by the _Dark Lord_ , and no one know why." She mumbled to herself about hating when something like that happens, but Severus continued on and asked how he demonstrated the spells, and she explained an insect was used to show the three curses, and then he tried the Imperious Curse on everyone.

"What?" Severus spat.

Daisy rubbed her upper shins. Severus noticed the behavior and looked down. Above her grey knee-socks were purple bruises already forming. A flash of anger went across Severus's face. "How did that happen?"

She told him how when he cast a spell on her, and she managed to ignore it for a few minutes until she crashed into the desk and onto the floor. He walked across the classroom swiftly, taking a small jar of something from a shelf. He also was hiding the proud expression on his face at hearing what she did.

"Here, put this on wherever you are bruised. It will heal it within the hour." He placed the jar on her desk. "And I need to go see Professor Dumbledore."

He stood up to leave, "Wait." She looked up at him as she spoke. "How was your summer, Professor?"

Severus could count on one hand how many students had ever asked him that before in the entirety of his teaching career, and none had been in houses other than Slytherin.

"It was enjoyable." He finally stated.

"Do you still live near where my mother grew up?" She asked without needing to pause.

"I do." Then he realized this was the time to hear about Sirius Black. "How was it with Black this summer?"

The heat of the Potions classroom from all the brewing that had just occurred made her put her hair into a messy bun as she replied, "Amazing! Sirius and I went all over London. I helped him pick out a muggle motorcycle, and then he showed me how to make it be able to fly. He told me so many stories about my parents."

"I am glad to hear." This confirmed Sirius did not inform Daisy of his own darker past. "You must get going, you have Transfiguration."

She nodded, wished him a good day, and left the room. Since her back was turned to him, she did not see his eyes widen as he saw the tattoo on the back of her neck. He wanted to call her back, and spell it off, but he knew that wouldn't be appropriate. Not even Hogwarts had rules against tattoos. Little did he know it would fade away within the week.

The first few weeks went by uneventfully. Then the other students for the tournament arrived. The students from Beauxbatons turned heads from the males, and Durmstrang had the same effect on the females. Most of them were too old to be in any of Daisy's classes, but they still managed to turn her head in the halls.

The Goblet of Fire was brought into the great hall one morning. Daisy watched during mealtimes for the next few days to see if anyone she knew entered. The entire school was anticipating when they would get the results of the three champions.

Finally on a Saturday evening, before dinner, it was time for the three names to be drawn. Everyone from all three schools crowded into the great hall, all the professors and headmasters stood before the long head table. A girl with long fair hair was chosen from Beauxbatons, Fleur Delacour. Then the quidditch sensation, Viktor Krum was chosen from Durmstrang. And the entire school cheered when the handsome Cedric Diggory was called.

Albus Dumbledore was about to announce dinner, but the goblet light up one more time, like it was about to give out a fourth name. Then it did. A scrap of paper came floating down into Dumbledore's hands. The expression on Dumbledore's face was unreadable.

Then Daisy's heart sank into her stomach as her name was called. She looked from Hermione to Ron with confusion. Dumbledore repeated her name again, and Hermione gave her a push off the bench.

Her legs felt like jello as she walked to the front of the school. She tried finding Severus's face, but her nerves made everyone blend together. She reached Dumbledore, took the piece of parchment, and then walked to the room off of the great hall that everyone had walked into.

It was then when she found Severus. He was standing in the back near the door. She looked into his eyes; he was looking at her with a raised brow, but he stopped once she gave him a pleading expression.

Moments later, Dumbledore entered with a crowd behind him that included Severus. Dumbledore asked her, in the same calm voice he always spoke in, if she entered her name. Instantly she said she did not. The Durmstrang headmaster argued with Dumbledore about fairness, he even moved with a strong stance across the room with a finger pointed at Daisy's face until Severus stepped in.

"There is no way a thirteen year old girl could have fooled the goblet. That took incredibly dark magic."

Finally the champions were dismissed after more arguing and no resolution other than allowing Daisy to compete. The champions were told to go to dinner with the rest of the school, but Daisy had no appetite. She took another passageway she only knew of because of the map Remus returned to her once he was no longer a professor.

The path led straight to the dungeons, and that was where she was headed. It was no much longer that the professors were dismissed, and then Snape and McGonagall left after a more private conversation with Dumbledore. Snape noticed she was absent from the Gryffindor table, and he had a feeling he knew where he could find her.

He saw someone sitting with their knees to their chest outside his office. He knew it was here even without needing to see the contrast of black robes and red hair flowing over the shoulders of them.

"Come on." He said softly, putting an arm around her they walked into his office and she plopped into her usual chair. He could see streaks down her cheeks, and the brim of her eyes were red, but she was too proud to let the tears fall now that she was no longer alone.

"I didn't do it."

"Daisy…" He felt horrible for her. This was the first time he consciously chose to use her first name. "No one thinks you did."

"Did you not see the rest of the school?" She huffed. "Why is it always me?" He elbows rested on her knees and her face fell into her hands. "I can't even compete with seventeen year olds!"

"You have done more in your life than any of the other champions. No other champion has faced the Dark Lord twice or fought off a hundred dementors at once."

"Why do you call Voldemort that? The Dark Lord." She snapped, not listening to what he was saying.

Severus thought about telling her the truth, but this was not the time. "Habit after being in Slytherin house." He replied more curtly than he intended.

"Can't Dumbledore get me out of this?" Severus corrected her with _Professor_ Dumbledore's name, and then explained that that goblet was a magically binding contract.

He noticed her eyes well with tears. "Can I use your Floo?" She finally asked softly.

Severus opened his mouth to say no. That was always his response with homesick students, but he couldn't say it to her. "Yes, but I will need to accompany you since it is the school year."

The both entered the large chimney and sped off in a warm blur of green. She landed on her knees of the chimney of the kitchen in Sirius's home. Severus helped her up as Sirius entered the room. He heard them land.

Silently she rushed over to him, tears streaming now, and she wrapped her arms around his neck as he lifted her a few feet from the ground, holding her tightly. "What is it?" He spoke gently in her ear, but she didn't respond.

"Severus?" He looked across the room. It was the first time in Sirius's life that he looked at Severus with no hate in his expression.

"Someone hoodwinked the Goblet of Fire. Her name came out as the fourth champion. She must compete." Severus returned the expression with nothing but worry for Daisy.

"Let's go in the sitting room." Sirius said as Daisy's feet met the ground again. Daisy curled next to Sirius on the couch as Severus took a nearby chair. She used the sleeve of her robes to wipe the tears from her red and puffy face.

"Did Karkaroff put her name in?" Sirius asked.

"Albus doesn't have anything but presumptions at this point, but he would be a likely candidate." Severus replied.

"Why?" Daisy asked.

"He was a Death Eater." Sirius replied plainly.

"And Dumbledore let him into the castle?" She sounded shocked.

"Dumbledore has always been very _forgiving_." Sirius looked Severus in the eyes as he responded to Daisy.

The two men spoke more of reasons why should could or could not get out of the tournament. Then Severus noticed she was asleep, curled up against Sirius's arm.

"Send her back to my office in the morning. Her first class is at nine." Severus rose and walked from the room.

But Sirius stopped him before he entered the fireplace. "Thank you for bringing her."

Severus turned around. "It is not easy to decline her requests." He moved to turn to the fireplace, but stopped again. "Why did you not tell her about my past?"

The familiar look of loathing came back in Sirius's eyes. "She has been through too much for someone her age. I have no idea how, but she is fond of you. As much as I would like to never hear her speak well of you again, Snape, I am not going to be the one that shatters it for her. You will. Because you can't hide from your past forever. She may be part Lily, but she is also part James, and soon she will see you for who you really are. A greasy Death-"

But Severus would never find out exactly what he was because he disappeared in the flames before Sirius could finish. When he landed in his office, he felt sick. And it was not from traveling by Floo.

That morning Severus stayed in his office until the flames were green and Daisy stepped through. She missed the window for breakfast; Severus wasn't entirely sure she would return today.

"Morning, Potter."

"I'm going to head to class, Professor." She spoke in a tone that sounded nothing like her. It was despondent and empty.

"Pot- Daisy, wait." She stopped at the door, and Severus approached her. "You will get through this. You have many people rooting for you." He paused before adding. "I promise, I will do whatever it takes to get you through this."

He saw her force a half-smile. "Thanks, Professor." Then she slipped from the door.

That day Severus was stunned at the school. Overnight the Slytherins and Hufflepuffs seemed to make hundreds of large button pins for their robes. Even some Ravenclaws had it on. The badges flashed, "POTTER STINKS." Then when the wearer of the badge touched it, the badge showed a rotting daisy wilt with lines coming out of it to demonstrate smell.

He did not notice them until Draco flashed one at Daisy in Potions. While, Severus did not remove house points, he banned them in his classroom as a distraction. However, they had clearly already gotten to Daisy. Severus also noticed Ron Weasley was not with Daisy and Hermione. He too was glaring at her from across the room.

Weeks went by. Severus watched as she lost weight, barely picking at her food. Ron never spoke to her, although George seemed to take his place. She was quiet, rarely showing any emotional expression. He most frequently saw her next to Hermione in the library, both of them reading together, but Daisy didn't turn the pages as frequently, so he knew she must be thinking more than reading in these situations.

Eventually the officials running the tournament came by for a wand weighing. They wanted to ensure all the wands were ready for whatever the first task, a few days away, entailed. That evening, Hermione came rushing to Daisy at Gryffindor table. She whispered something in her ear.

Daisy's jaw dropped. Hermione had just told her that she heard from Ron who heard from Hagrid who heard from Charlie Weasley that the first task involved getting by a dragon. Daisy thanked Hermione, not hungry anymore, and she went to her common room.

She stayed there for an hour, putting her plaid pajama pants on instead of her skirt. She wrote to Sirius, although she considered just using the Floo to leave. Then an idea came to her mind. Once Hedwig was off with the letter, she grabbed her robes and put it over her dress shirt and pajama pants, and she left the common room, which was starting to fill with students.

Quickly she rushed down the stairs until she was in the cool dungeon. Mad Eye Moody tried to stop her to talk, but she needed to talk to Snape before curfew ended. She knocked on Severus's door. He opened it and allowed her inside.

Suddenly she realized that she did not want to get Hagrid or anyone in trouble for sharing the information with her. "I know the first task is getting by a dragon." Then she quickly added, "I can't say how."

"Take a seat."

She obeyed, and Snape sat down behind his own desk. "Any plans yet?"

"Dropping out of school is all I have so far." She sighed, leaning back in her chair, and Severus noticed she must have raced down to him once he saw what she was wearing.

"I do not support that one, anything else?" He raised a brow.

"Can I transfigure the dragon into something else?" She asked.

He shook his head. "Your abilities are not there yet, and you will be more likely to anger the dragon if it goes awry." Then he added, "What are your strengths?"

"A Potion!"

He shook his head again. "Flying." She was about to object. "I know you are always getting house points for Gryffindor in Charms. Correct me if I am wrong, but your summoning charm must be above average."

"Yeah, but that's with things across the room." She had a hint of hopefulness to her voice.

"It doesn't matter. You just need to focus on the spell." He replied calmly.

She looked as though she was taking everything in, and then she spoke, "Thank you."

"You are very welcome, Potter." Severus replied. "Now get back to your common room before I need to give you detention." But he said this with a smirk.

The first task went better than Daisy imagined. She was able to get her broom, and not even be in fourth place. Although Severus and Sirius felt as though they should have some grey hairs after watching. They had sat near each other, but they acted as though the other did not exist.

The badges on the robes of the students seemed to disappear as they realized Daisy had not wished for this to happen. Even Ron regained his senses as the two hugged each other tightly after the first task, although Rita Skeeter witnessed it, and it ended up on the front page of the Daily Prophet the next day.

Snow began to fall, as a yule ball was announced to the school. Daisy was not sure if she was excited or not. She looked at George as Dumbledore told the school one morning, but George was busy buttering his toast.

However, then she noticed Cedric from the table next to Gryffindor. He was looking right at her. Daisy looked away quickly. He was handsome, and she couldn't help the blush that came up on her cheeks.

The next weekend most of the girls visited their homes to get or buy dresses for the upcoming ball. Daisy wrote to Sirius about it, but the dress really had not taken up much of her thoughts. She was more concerned with who she would attend with since she would have to dance in front of the entire school.

However, a few weekends later, Daisy and Hermione travelled to London for a weekend of dress shopping. While shopping, Daisy confessed to Hermione that she wished George would ask her, but he was barely speaking to her lately. Little did Daisy know, it was due to nerves.

Hermione ended up picking a blue dress that fell to the floor with with sheer sleeves, and Daisy picked a pink gown with ¾ length sleeves that fell off of her shoulders. Since Daisy was quite skinny, she felt self-conscious of her slim frame, and thought that dress best accentuated any curves she had.

Nearly two weeks had gone by, and still no one had asked Daisy to the ball. She was starting to wonder if she should ask George herself. However, one morning when she was leaving the Owlry, Cedric ran into her and asked her to accompany him as a team representing Hogwarts. George came to her mind, but she appreciated the gesture Cedric made, so she agreed.

No one but Daisy knew who Hermione was taking, and Ron was not having any luck. Ron ended up asking a third year Hufflepuff girl that he barely knew. George and Fred ended up going with the Patil twins. While Daisy was jealous, she found it amusing since Fred told her it was all his doing because George was losing his nerve lately.

At last the night of the ball arrived. Hermione began working with her hair a couple hours before Daisy began getting ready. Daisy braided a portion of her long red hair so that it went across like a headband, then the rest of her hair was swept up. The lack of sunlight made her pale, so she used a bit of Lavender's bold pink lip color. She glanced at her reflection before slipping on some silver flapper styled shoes.

Cedric met Daisy in the entrance hall. Ron pestered her about where Hermione was, but Daisy wasn't giving it away. Eventually she arrived on the arm of Viktor Krum. When the three couples danced before the school, George caught Daisy's eye. He winked at her. Later that night he would finally get the nerve to ask her to dance.

After she slow danced with George for some time, Cedric ended up dancing with a pretty girl named Cho anyways, she put her head on his chest and felt calm for the first time in a long time. She still had no idea what the second task would be, but that was the furthest from her mind.

As the night continued to slip by, the music became faster and faster with less slow songs between. Daisy's hair fell down, and she was left now with long curls and her braided headband. She was quite warm and George offered to get her some punch. Meanwhile, Daisy thought she might go find Hermione.

However, Hermione was nowhere to be found, only an angry looking Ron, and she did not wish to approach him. Daisy decided to wait for George outside where the air was cooler, and it was quieter.

But it turned out not to be entirely quiet. She entered the night air, and was met with an angry sounding Severus Snape. She wondered who he was angry at, and she decided to move closer but try not to be seen. Severus was marching around the courtyard, trying to find students being intimate on the benches they felt were isolated enough to show affection.

Daisy saw Hagrid and the Beauxbatons headmistress in deep conversation, but she snuck behind a hedge. She did not want to interfere with that. Then as she got closer she realized who the other voice was- Igor Karkaroff.

The two men were alone in an alcove of tall shrubbery, and Daisy stood against the entryway, now having a clear view of the two. They were only a few meters away.

"It's a sign, Severus! Yours looks the same as mine!"

"I have no idea what you are talking about, Igor."

Karkaroff made a face, he was obviously frustrated at how the conversation was going. "You do, Severus." He spoke with more force as he grabbed Severus's wrist and yanked his sleeve up, revealing an irritated looking dark mark.

Daisy couldn't stop herself, she gasped loudly, stepping back slightly to have her back pressed against the tall thick hedge. Severus looked directly at Daisy, pulling his sleeve back down.

"Potter, wait…" His voice sounded urgent as he stepped closer to her, but she didn't care. She turned and ran as fast as she could in her heels.


	7. Year Four Part Two

_A/N: Sorry for the delay. I have one final day of graduate school, and then I'm moving out of my parents' into an apartment with my partner. While it's exciting, my anxiety is pretty high… I'm a Ravenclaw through and through, so I have a few emotions with ending my educational career. Although, I do hope to get my PhD or DVM after a decade or so of working. I've been so stressed (the job is only a temporary internship that took ages to acquire and isn't even 100% official yet and my lease will be for a year), so I've been reading FanFiction to escape instead of writing it!_

For Daisy it felt like time was frozen. After she gasped at the blackened dark mark, she made eye contact with the person she had looked up to for four years, the first person to make her feel cared for and safe.

She ran past a shouting Hermione; she didn't even focus on comprehending that it was Ron who was the recipient of her anger. Tears were streaming down her face as her hair flew back behind her.

George saw her, and he kept his distance, but he followed her as well. Additionally, Severus was following the both of them. She took the long way back to the common room, not wanting to bump into anyone, and not really in a hurry to get back.

Her shoes echoed on the long wooden bridge as the brisk night air filled her lungs, and then she stumbled near the end. A bored sticking up caught her off balance in her heels. She flew forwards, catching herself with her hands, which were now in pain from the fall.

Her breathing came in heaves and gasps as her cries could be heard from a distance. Slowly and quietly, George came up from behind. He wanted to run after her, but he knew they were not that close yet.

He knelt down next to her, "Daisy…What happened? What's wrong?"

Meanwhile, Severus had approached the two from the other side of the bridge. He went directly to the common room, but then kept going when the portrait said she had not arrived. He was hidden around the corner from them in a stairwell, but he could see and hear everything.

"He- He is a Death Eater! I saw his mark!" She buried her face in her hands.

George didn't know who she was talking about, but he had a hunch from overhearing his parents with a prototype he created. He felt it would upset her more if he asked for her to specify. Wrapping an arm around her, she cried into his neck as she leaned against his chest.

"I need to talk to Sirius." She finally said after some time had passed, and the tears stopped flowing.

"We can take the common room's fire. I know Ginny has used it before." George got up then gave her a hand. Severus stepped further into the shadows as they moved by him to return to the common room.

As they stood before the fire, George asked if she wanted to go alone. Daisy waited for a moment then nodded her head. "I can't imagine Sirius not knowing about Snape…"

George nodded, glad to have been confirmed on who this was all about, and she disappeared in the flames.

"Sirius!"

He came running into the kitchen. Her eyes were puffy, and his first thought was something went poorly with Cedric. "Who do I need to hex?"

He pulled her into a hug, and heard a muffled, "Snape" into his chest. Sirius pulled back looking serious.

"Let me get the kettle going." After few minutes of getting mugs and teabags, they were sitting across from each other at the table. "How did you find out?"

She told him she saw the mark on her arm, but before she got into details , she stopped and asked, "You knew?"

Sirius nodded."He joined right after graduating. I didn't want to ruin the bond between you two because my opinion would undoubtedly have been laced with decades of hatred. When I saw he was a teacher, I figured Dumbledore must have been right. Dumbledore told us all he switched sides shortly before your parents were killed, and he became a spy." Sirius sighed. "Personally, I have always doubted that his true alliance changed. He was dark growing up. He had a bad family and a bad upbringing. He came to school knowing more curses than the sixth years."

"Why wouldn't he tell me?"

Sirius ran a hand through his hair. "Because he is a coward. He hated James for ending up with Lily instead of him." Sirius decided to be even more honest. "He sees you as the daughter he could have had with the woman he loved." Then under his breath he added, "He didn't love her as much as the dark arts though, and Lily wouldn't have it. They stopped speaking in our fifth year." He paused, deciding not to express the vulgar details of the event that occurred after their OWLs.

The look on Daisy's face was pure shock, but Sirius continued. Although he took less of a biased tone now. "Daisy, he may have regretted joining the Death Eaters the moment he did. They convinced him by treating him as prey, capitalizing on his young weaknesses. He may have regretted it the moment he took the mark. Dumbledore is the only one that truly would know the truth."

"Karkaroff said the mark was getting more prominent. That's when I saw it. He grabbed Snape's arm."

"I thought I told you to stay away from Karkaroff." Sirius raised a brow in an attempt to come off as serious and parenting, although this news did worry him about the mark changing.

"I didn't go looking for him… I ran into them." Daisy sighed, not expecting Sirius to go into repercussions of reckless actions much. That was not his style.

"Do you want to stay here tonight? I can let McGonagall know."

Daisy nodded and moved in the direction of her room. However, once she was out of sight, Sirius took a sip of his tea- with a sly smile on his face. He had one more person other than McGonagall to visit tonight before checking in on Daisy before she fell asleep.

Sirius didn't bother using the Floo to get from McGonagall's office to Snape's. Therefore, when a knock came at his office door, Severus was not expecting to open it and see Sirius there. But he stepped aside and let her godfather enter.

"How is she?" He asked tentatively.

"Crushed." Sirius sneered as he took a seat in the chair Daisy often occupied. He leaned back in it and contemplated putting his feet on the desk.

"I don't need you to come here and gloat." Severus sounded dangerous.

Sirius flashed his youthful smile that Severus grew up despising. "You don't, but I do. Your time is up, Snivellus. I won't have to listen to stories about you again." Then he added cruelly, "Or listen to her speak of how she would miss you over the summer. There is no coming back from this-"

"Get. Out. Of. My. Office."

Sirius rose, but he still made it apparent he felt he had won. "She is the daughter of Lily and James. And she is my goddaughter, and she will want nothing to do with you again."

Severus's hand flicked as though he was going to grab his wand or punch Sirius in the face. "You can't ignore your past forever, Snape. And now it's right back looking you in the face. Lily eventually saw you for who you are, and now Daisy has..."

Before Severus needed to hex the man, Sirius strutted out of the office, knowing James was probably looking down on him with the same sense of satisfaction.

The reality of who Severus was felt like a dark cloud over all of Daisy's Christmas holiday. She didn't necessarily need anything from her trunk for the holiday, so she didn't bother returning for the last day of school and the train ride home. And to make her feel even more down, she still hadn't figured out the egg she got in the first task, and the date of the second task was going to be approaching soon once she returned to school.

However, eventually the month break from school subsided, and it was time to take the train back to the castle. As the sun set and the castle's lights came into view, Daisy began to fidget with her fingers. Hermione looked at Ron with a concerned expression. Neither of them wanted to address the source of her nerves.

During dinner, Daisy refused to look at the head table, and this did not go unnoticed by Severus. He figured he would have to wait until class tomorrow to see her.

Daisy's ability to perform well in Potions the next day was about level with Neville Longbottom's. Severus strode around the classroom, and Daisy accidentally dropped her entire jar of beetle eyes into her cauldron as Severus was by her.

Before he potion could boil over, he vanished it. The entire room of Gryffindors was silent. This was not something Snape did without a reaction, not even to his favored Slytherins. "You have enough time to begin again." He directed before continuing to walk around the room.

Daisy felt as though she could cry at any moment. She noted the lecture and removal of house points he had spared her. Part of her wished she never saw his mark, but she knew that was an unrealistic desire. It would have eventually come out. She wanted to shout and him and never speak to him again. But in the back of her mind, the thought that kept her sane throughout this was that Dumbledore trusted him.

When class was soon to be dismissed, she was conflicted. Her second attempt at her potion would not be far from her usual ability, but she was ten to fifteen minutes behind the rest of the class. She was still waiting for it to simmer before adding the final ingredient.

The rest of the class was bottling their own work. Daisy wanted to bottle her own, but she knew the entire potion would be worthless without the last step. Potions was one of the classes she was used to excelling in.

Snape clearly saw the inability to decide what to do on her mind. "Class will be extended ten minutes today for those in need of the time."

The announcement only pertained to Daisy and Neville. Neville looked like he was going to be sick with the thought of being practically alone with Snape. Daisy did not notice that Neville decided to not utilize the extra time. His potion was already so far off that ten minutes was not going to help it much.

The final steps took a great deal of concentration and detail. It wasn't until Daisy completed it that she looked around to see she was alone with Snape, who was grading papers at an empty table.

Taking a deep breath, she scooped a portion to be graded and quickly cleaned up her area, so she could just put the vial on his desk and hurry away. And that is what she did, except as she turned to leave before where he sat, he looked up at her.

"How was your holiday?"

She looked at him with a fueled expression. Her dark eyes moved back and forth as her brow furrowed, and she looked at his dark obsidian eyes. Severus noticed her lip was quivering.

"No." She finally stated. "No, you don't get to do that." Her entire jaw was moving now in a way that it looked as though she was trying to remain stoic.

"Daisy, let me explain-"

He stood up, but she lept backwards, her cauldron swaying on her arm. "No!" Her entire face look contorted now as her eyes began looking glossy. "Sirius explained to me who- _what_ you are."

A tear slid down her cheek before she could turn to run from the classroom. Severus was then left alone, running a hand through his shoulder length hair, feeling probably more crestfallen than Daisy.

Daisy was relieved she had a break before her next class. She wanted to regain her composure, even though she intended on using the time to work on her egg. She stopped running once she made her way to an abandoned part of the dungeon. There was no way she was going to go up the stairs to where the rest of the school would be able to see her.

Setting her bag and cauldron down, she slide down the wall and wrapped her arms around her knees and tears silently streamed from her eyes. Dumbledore may trust him, and Sirius even gave Snape the benefit of the doubt in his own explanation, but she didn't think she could ever get past this. Not after she felt lied to for the past four years.

Then she remembered the part Sirius told her about how Severus loved her mother, and he may have regretted joining immediately. She most certainly felt as though Severus was the first father figure she had in her life, and even in the moments of despair in Sirius's kitchen, she felt warmth at the idea that Severus thought of her as the daughter he wished he had.

Other than her father's eyes and Quidditch skills, she did not inherit much from James. She stood up and took hold of her cauldron and bag, and she moved down the dungeon halls.

She wiped the tears from her cheeks as she surprised herself by knocking on the Potions office door. Severus opened it slightly at first to eye who was disturbing him. Then he pulled it open to let her inside, taking her cauldron from her hand and setting it down as she moved to her usual chair.

He took his usual seat. He could see she was near being upset again, and he didn't know what to do or say to stop that from happening, or if that was even possible.

They sat in silence for nearly five minutes before Severus spoke. "I do not wish to imply that your godfather was not truthful, but what he told you may have been biased."

She looked up from her feet, "He said you probably regretted joining immediately."

Severus had to try hard to hide the shock on his expression. "He was speaking the truth then."

Daisy was silent until she added, "Sirius said you loved my mother."

Severus never planned on telling this to Daisy. It was unprofessional and much to private to disclose, but he wasn't going to deny anything now. "That is true as well." He said in a soft tone.

She wanted to ask him more about what Sirius said. She wanted to ask about his upbringing and why he loved her mother, and why her mother didn't chose him, and what still made him join, but all she asked was. "And you stopped being one- one of those Death Eaters- to become a spy?"

Since Severus was being honest, "I couldn't merely stop, but my alliance changed."

Daisy was silent until she said, "Okay."

Another five minutes passed again before she spoke, her voice full of emotion. "I can't figure out my egg."

Severus looked at her closely to see she was holding back tears again. However, he knew this was not about the egg.

"Come here." He spoke more gently than he had in years as he stood up as well. Daisy walked into his outstretched arms as she wrapped her own arms around his middle. Severus held her closely as he rubbed her back. Her breathing came in heaves and sobs continuously escaped her. For the past month she had held in her anger, disappointment, and sadness. Relief flooded her as she felt she still had not lost the person she looked up to for the longest time.

Meanwhile, guilt still surged through Severus. He wondered if she would ever learn it was him that overheard the prophecy. He was worried she would one day learn he pleaded with Dumbledore to save Lily only and to leave James and Daisy to be taken by Voldemort.

Worry also filled his core. The mark on his arm proved Voldemort was near to returning, and he did not know what would happen when he did.

When Daisy's tears turned to sniffles, Severus released his hold on her. "Bring me your egg after dinner. We will work on it."

"That's not allowed though-"

"I will supervise your study of it." He raised a brow as she gave a smile. He used a thumb to wipe away a remaining tear from her cheek. "Sit." She obeyed as he went across his office and in a few minutes had two cups of tea and took his own seat. "Now tell me about your holiday."

He understood the extent of her reaction once he realized the weight on her after seeing his mark. She did not openly express it, but the stories were not of the enjoyment she usually told.

Looking at a clock on his desk, he knew both of their breaks were coming to an end. He had another Potions class to teach,and he believed it was Divination she had to head to.

"Daisy…" The name still felt foreign on his lips. "I will help you with anything you need- ever. My past does not alter how important you are to me."

She looked up from her teacup in her lap. "What are you going to do when Voldemort comes back?"

"Initially this concern was why I did not want you to know I cared for you. If or when the Dark Lord discovers our closeness, he will likely order me to bring you to him since you trust me. I have ways to keep him from learning of this, but that will be futile with the rest of the school knowing you are the sole non-Slytherin that receives favoritism. There are students here that have inevitably told their Death Eater parents."

He sighed. "However, Professor Dumbledore knows these concerns as well, and there is a chance the Dark Lord will have other priorities if he returns other than you. Most likely he will not want his return to be publicized immediately, so he can attempt to infiltrate the ministry without being even a suspect."

"Is he coming back then?"

"I do not know how or when, but I believe he is. Do not find yourself alone please. The castle is dangerous, and Karkaroff is a man fueled by fear that would take you if it meant his possible freedom from serving the Dark Lord."

She was about to open her mouth to ask another question, but Severus took the cup from her hands, "You may be a favored pupil, but not enough for me to miss teaching my own classes. You need to be on your way to your next class as well."

She smiled, wished him a good day then left the office. Severus leaned back in his black leather Queen Anne chair… He knew he felt better than he had in weeks, but there was still a sense of doom over him when he thought about what the future may hold.

Daisy moved quickly from the dungeons to the top of the castle where Divination was, knowing she was likely to be late for class. Except she wasn't as alone in the corridors as the thought she was. As she turned a corner, she bumped into Cedric Diggory- who had wet hair and his school robes looked as though they were quickly put on a body that had just gone swimming. He was carrying his egg, but it dropped to the ground and made its awful screeching noise when it collided with the marble floor.

"This thing sure sounds horrid outside of water." Cedric joked. "Hopefully Peeves doesn't hear it. That is the last thing I need."

"R-Right." Daisy added with a smile and no idea what he was talking about.

"Any idea what you're going to do?" Cedric questioned, clearly looking for help himself.

Daisy did not want to give away that she knew even less, and knowing the Marauders Map well let her presume he was swimming in the prefect's bathroom. It had never occurred to her to put the egg under water. "Ah, it's a bit hard to hear it since our baths are a bit cramped for space and lack privacy."

"I hadn't thought of that." Cedric looked honestly concerned. "You're the only champion without a private bathroom. Fleur and Krum get access to one." Then he disclosed to her the password and exact location of the prefect's bathroom.

"Thanks!" That should make this loads easier." She smiled at him, not being able to help but to think how good he did look.

"Yeah, I can't imagine how hard it must be to put the egg and your head in a sink, and to always be interrupted."

"Y-Yeah, it's been right difficult." She replied, glad he mentioned her head had to go under the water as well, and Cedric laughed before they went their separate ways.

Her mind was preoccupied during Divination as she told Ron what had just happened. "I am going to skip lunch and see what it says." Ron agreed that was a good idea. They both hoped it wouldn't be too hard to figure out what to do once the egg gave further instructions. Daisy never thought she would have to figure out more than what the egg itself did.

When class was dismissed, she rushed back to her dormitory. She put on her invisibility cloak to avoid being bothered by anyone, and she was entirely amazed when she actually saw the inside of the bathroom. It was a pool, at least ten feet deep in some areas. For a moment she forgot about what she came here to do; there was a great amount of enjoyment from pressing the different taps and seeing what color bubbles emerged.

It didn't seem long at all and the pool was full. She slipped off all her clothes and dived in. That moment was the first time she had ever wished she could be a prefect. The thought never occurred to her before since it would obviously be given to Hermione in their fifth year. She swam a few laps in the pool that smelled amazing. Then she looked at her watch, and waded back to the side where the egg was.

Opening the egg underwater did seem to be helpful. Only a light was emerging now, no awful sounds. Taking a deep breath, she emerged her own head.

It took her a few times under the water before she had the riddle memorized. Before she could forget it, she hopped out and dried off. Quickly she rushed to the great hall, hoping to catch her friends before they went to their next class and talking would be difficult.

As she raced into the great hall, her hair bouncy and curled at the ends from her skilled wand use and the conditioner in the prefect's bathroom, again, she bumped into someone she felt was incredibly handsome.

George Weasley placed his hands on her shoulders, "Easy there." He winked at her as he took in the perfume that surrounded her from the bath. But she knew she couldn't talk, especially to George or else she would completely forget what the egg's riddle was.

She made her way over to Hermione and Ron. She told them both what happened. As they walked to Transfiguration, Hermione figured it out. "You're going to have to get something… From the Black Lake…"

"You've an hour to do it." Ron added. Daisy rolled her eyes at him. He had been trying so hard to impress Hermione lately, but his statement was more than obvious.

"How am I supposed to breathe underwater for an hour?" Daisy asked.

Hermione shrugged. "Maybe Snape can help you with that."

"Yeah-wait how did you know I was speaking to him again?" She asked.

"You stayed an hour behind after Potions ended today and came out in a better mood than you have been in a month. It wasn't hard to tell." Hermione raised her brows. Then they could no longer discuss anything for Professor McGonagall began her own lesson.

That evening, Snape was waiting for her arrival. He was not expecting such progress to have been made over the past few hours. She did not disclose how she ran into Cedric in the hallway or used the prefect's bathroom. Once she entered the office, she immediately went to his bookcase.

"By all means, help yourself to my personal library, Potter." He sneered, but she knew he was kidding.

Pulling a book about underwater plants out, "I need to breathe underwater for an hour."

Severus approached her and removed the book from her hand. "Then this is not the book you need." He snapped it shut, eyeing her. Without needing to look he replaced it and pulled out another book and held it out for her. "Try page 493."

"Gillyweed?" She asked when she opened it up. "Where am I supposed to get that?"

"From your favorite professor obviously." He replied moving to his desk.

She followed him with the book. "Why would Professor McGonagall have that?"

He looked up at her dangerously to see her poor attempt at hiding a grin. "See me before the day before the task, and I will have it prepared for you."

The days before the second task were going by quicker than Daisy would have hoped. Even though she was prepared, she was not looking forward to the event. She had written to Sirius for the need of a swimsuit, and what he sent back made Daisy laugh. It was a dark red one-piece with yellow lace-like embellishments around all the edges. She thought it was cute. When she tried it on, it rose high to cover all parts of her chest as it tied behind her neck. She pictured Sirius being uncomfortable in a muggle swimwear shop and then seeing the Gryffindor colored suit.

Finally, the evening arrived for her to pick up the gillyweed. Hermione and Ron had basically gone missing after dinner, so she felt annoyed already. After she was let into Snape's office, he could tell she was peeved. She told him about their abandonment in the final hour, and for the first time she saw him laugh.

Her face scowled. "I mean it's not like I need them, but I would have thought they'd spend the evening with me." Daisy was imagining that they finally got together in some broom closet. She felt pity for Viktor Krum since he was still in a relationship with Hermione.

Severus stopped himself from making a joke about how she would not have excelled in Ravenclaw. "Mr. Weasley is who you have to return tomorrow. Granger is Krum's."

Her features automatically softened as he explained the details of the rescuing. "Oh…" She took a seat next to his desk now instead of the pacing she was doing.

He put a small jar in front of her that was sitting on the other side of his desk.

She looked up at him with an expression of about to be sick. "That's it?"

"I see you did no further research on this…" He raised a brow, but not in a stern way. "Consume it moments before entering the water. Do not leave the docks until it is effective." He saw that she was quiet now; nerves were setting in. "You will do well tomorrow. There is no shame in even failing to complete a task. It has happened on multiple occasions by witches and wizards much older than you."

"Why don't I just sit the whole thing out then?" She sighed exasperated.

"You could." Severus replied honestly. "But you wouldn't. You're in Gryffindor for a reason." She gave him a half-smile knowing that was an attempt to compliment her house. "Now get to your dormitory, so you'll be well rested."

The next morning came early for Daisy. She couldn't eat any breakfast, and having the jar of gillyweed in her pocket wasn't making her stomach feel any better. Finally she stood at the edge of the lake with the other four champions. Bleachers stood tall at the lake's edge. She followed the other three down a long dock that had been recently put in.

She tried to hide her expression when Cedric removed his shirt to stand before her in just black swim trunks. Krum wore some kind of a wetsuit. Fleur was unzipping her athletic looking jacket and pants. Daisy simply had on black sweatpants and a Gryffindor shirt, but she started taking that off as well, feeling awkward with the whole school watching.

Mr. Crouch was counting down from ten. When he reached three, Daisy put the gillyweed in her mouth and forced herself to swallow it. Nothing happened. She was the only one standing on the dock now. Then she couldn't breathe anymore, feeling her neck she felt gills. She dove into the water and took a deep breathe of the lake.

When she found the floating individuals, there were only three left. Fleur's little sister then Hermione and Ron. Cedric must have already arrived… Using her wand, she broke the rope around Ron's ankle with a spell. Then she swam up to the surface with him.

Ron awoke once his head bobbed above the water, and he climbed up the nearby dock. Daisy was exhausted and went to the same at the ladder, but her gills stopped her. She couldn't actually leave the water; she put a hand to her throat with a gasp when her head emerged, then she sunk back below the surface with just her eyes above the water.

Panic set in, she worried she would have gills forever. She kept looking around. Ron seemed to realize what was happening. However, before more worry could occur. She saw a tall dark frame moving towards her. Snape knelt down at the edge of the dock, uncorked what he was holding, and handed her a vial of the antidote. "Well done."

She looked at him gratefully, and emerged further from the water after a deep breath to take the potion. The next breath she had was of the cold air, and it was as though she just realized how cold the water and the air was. Severus appeared to be expecting this. He had warmed blankets ready for her. "We are just waiting on Krum." Then he turned to return to Dumbledore's side.

"But Fleur's sister was still down there." Daisy told Ron as they stood close together for warmth.

"She couldn't get past the grindylows!" He remarked. "You're going to come in second place! Diggory used some charm to make a bubble over his face, and he only took twenty minutes or so."

Ron was correct. Daisy was awarded second place, and following the celebrations by the school and the Gryffindors, she was awarded a head cold.

"Sorry…" She sniffled to Ron after she sneezed his fly wings off of their workspace in Potions a few days after the second task.

"Honestly, just go to the hospital wing." Hermione sighed under her breath.

"I hate the hospital wing, and it's not even that bad." She replied as she rubbed her throbbing temples. The ache went down into her clogged ears.

Daisy finished class, with a potion below her usual average. "Potter, stay behind." Snape ordered as the room was emptying out. "Not your best work." He raised a brow as she stood before his desk.

She opened her mouth to speak. She knew her error actually, but he interrupted her. "You need to go to the hospital wing."

"I hate the hospital wing." She sighed.

"Then you need to follow me." He demanded as he took hold of her cauldron for her. She followed him into his office. She put her bag down next to the cauldron he set down. However, they did not stop in the office. He walked across to a door on the other side.

The door revealed a corridor made of the same grey stone as the rest of his office. The first opening on the left was of a massive library with seating and a fireplace. A heavy green curtain was partially tied back to reveal the room. The second room was on the right side of the hallway. A wide entryway led to a dark kitchen, much like a private room for brewing potions with shelving full of different colored potions and table in the middle.

"Take a seat."

Once he found what he was looking for, he returned to her and placed a hand on her forehead with the hand not holding two vials. Then he went back to the shelving and took a third bottle.

"Take these."

She obeyed, feeling slightly better immediately. "Now you need to rest. You have an hour off, and I will dismiss you from Divination. You are not going to miss anything detrimental to your magical education in three hours of nonsense about predicting nonsense."

"Thanks, Professor. I'll get going then." Daisy sighed, thinking about all the homework she could get done with no Divination to take up her entire morning.

"You won't be. I don't need legilimency to know what you're thinking, Daisy. You're planning on working on all the homework you've been procrastinating. You will be staying in my guest quarters- without your books."

She didn't argue. The idea of actually not being disturbed to sleep like she would be anywhere else sounded nice. Severus stood and beckoned for her to follow him.

There were two heavy wooden doors at the end of the corridor across from each other. Severus opened the one on the left. The room had the same grey stone walls as the rest of the dungeon, but a chandelier hung from the dome ceiling, and below it was a bed with a dark wood frame and dark furniture placed around it.

"Pajamas are in the wardrobe. I will be back in four hours. Do sleep, Potter." He raised a brow at her as she sat at the edge of the bed. She nodded, feeling as though there was some kind of sedative in one of the potions.

Snape closed the door behind her, and she rubbed her eyes as she opened the wardrobe. She laughed when she saw the options in the dresser. There were nightgowns that seemed to be as old as the castle then green flannel pants with snakes on them.

She changed from her skirt and knee socks into the green bottoms and took her tie off. A yawn escaped her mouth before she bothered to see what the option for a shirt was. In her dress shirt still, she climbed under the covers, and sleep soon found her.

Before Severus's next class, he opened the door to check on her. Rolling his eyes, he saw the tie, socks, shoes, and skirt thrown onto the floor. Entering the room he folded them up for her and placed them on a nearby chair.

He put a hand on her forehead again to check her fever. She felt much cooler. Severus felt a protective surge over her and wanted to stay, but he knew he had his own class to go teach.

When he returned for teaching, he opened the door to see she was still asleep. He didn't want to wake her just for lunch, so he turned to go to his own kitchen. Except a scream filled his hallway. In a few long strides, he was at her side shaking her awake as she clung to the blankets around her.

Once awake, she sat up in bed, her brow sweating. "H-He kept telling Lucius Malfoy to make sure the plan is all set. Voldemort kept saying to check with Crouch."

"Have you had dreams like this before?" Severus asked seriously.

She nodded. "Did he mean Barty Crouch? Is he a Death Eater?" She questioned about the older man frequently at the school this year for the tournament.

Severus shook his head. "His son was. Barty Crouch Junior… But he is dead." Although after stating that, Severus began to question if that was somehow false because he knew it couldn't be about his father, and he felt there was likely accuracy to the dream.

"After the quidditch world cup, Hermione found out that the house-elf sitting alone in the top box with us belonged to the Crouch family, but no one ever showed up for the seats."

Severus knew how much Barty Crouch Junior enjoyed quidditch. If he was ever doubting his death, he was now.

"You need to rest more." Severus finally stated as he pulled another vial from his cloak.

"But it's lunch-"

"Are you hungry?" He asked, but she shook her head. "Take this, and I'm still going to have a house-elf deliver something. Your fever has returned, and you're not to be in class until it has gone without the aid of a fever reducing potion."

She scowled at him.

"Don't make faces at me. I'm the one about to pick your lunch." The corners of his mouth turned upwards.

"But I'm not tired anymore." She objected, wanting to get to Hermione and Ron to tell them about what she saw.

"Then I'll have the elf also bring a dreamless sleep potion." She made a face but didn't object. "I'll be back in a few hours. I have some things to take care of."

Severus did come back after a few hours. He put his hand to her forehead as she slept, and he kept checking in on her every couple hours until he finally walked into his room to find her stirring.

"Any chance I slept through the third task?" She replied groggily as she sat up. Even though it was still weeks away, the idea of what was in store was already haunting her. She lacked multiple years of magical education which her competitors would have had.

"Not quite." Severus responded as he moved to the bedside and put a hand on her forehead.

"Any chance I can transfer schools?" She sighed.

"Since you asked so politely—no." Severus replied with a smirk. "Come with me. We're eating dinner then you're going back to bed, and you should be as good as new in the morning."

A house-elf had already prepared multiple dishes that were on the table in his small kitchen. She put some food on her plate but only picked at it.

"Not hungry?" Severus asked, knowing her appetite only got this way before a quidditch match.

"I'm going to be a joke in the third task." She said as she picked at her food, ever since she learned what the task would be after the day in the lake, she was continuously worried.

Severus watched her closely. Her long hair was falling over the shoulders of the pajamas. She looked exceptionally like Lily unless she looked up at him with her brown eyes.

"I can assist you." Her brown eyes looked up at him. "We can do tutoring sessions in the evenings a few days a week. I can instruct you on various defensive spells and even work on your dueling abilities."

"You'd do that for me?"

He gave a quick nod. "Now finish eating. It's late." Then he added, "And you're not going back to Gryffindor Tower tonight. I know you'll stay up, and then have a ruined sleep schedule."

That night, Severus fell asleep at his own desk. However, that was something that happened more frequently than not. Daisy did show up for tutoring for the next few weeks. They continued to work on her Patronus as well as a multitude of spells. It was apparent Severus's true passion was Defense Against the Dark Arts.

Finally the day of the final task arrived. Sirius came to see her before she was to enter the maze. He was a bit surprised when she wrote to him about the assistance Professor Snape was providing. Sirius did not believe they would be on speaking terms so soon—if ever again.

Soon Daisy found herself wandering the maze with the school watching from above. She made her way through all the obstacles, even the dementor which turned out to be a boggart.

Through the shrubbery walls, she heard Viktor attack Fleur. Then red sparks went up in the air after she heard Cedric's voice disarm Viktor. It was at that moment when Severus looked at Albus in the stands, suspicion initiated.

It wasn't long before the school saw both Cedric and Daisy standing at the cup. Then they both reached their hands out to grasp it at the same time, and they disappeared.

Severus stood up. He left the stands with Pomona, Minerva, and Albus. They made their way to where the maze began.

"Who placed the cup in the maze?" Severus spat at Albus.

"Professor Moody…" Albus said without hesitation.

Severus didn't need much time before Mad-Eye Moody made his way towards them. He wanted to disarm the man. Suddenly he thought he knew who had been stealing Polyjuice ingredients from his private stores. However, he was conflicted. Whoever this man was, if it was not Alastor Moody, it was someone connected to the Dark Lord. It would be someone he couldn't appear to be a complete enemy to. Severus knew one day he would have to return to the Dark Lord's side and offer forgiveness and information that would allow him to continue as spy.

However, Dumbledore acted before Severus could organize his thoughts. "I need you to come to my office." Albus stated. "Minerva, please escort us."

Severus looked at Albus; they both we thinking the same, especially if he took someone else, not like Albus needed an extra individual if the potential façade of Moody did attack. The only surprise was that Albus did not ask Severus to escort him. However, he was grateful. All knew it was Severus Daisy would want to see more than her actual head of house when she returned.

Sirius Black and Cedric's father came down from the stands. Cedric's father's questions had innocence to them. He was thinking this was some part of the task still. However, Sirius was glaring at Severus. Demanding to know how his mark felt on his arm.

What felt like hours, only twenty minutes had passed since they disappeared. The burning in Severus's forearm had the Potions Master feeling nauseous with worry. Sirius didn't need to pry to know Voldemort was behind this. Little did they know, Cedric was dead, and Daisy was currently dueling Voldemort himself.

Albus and Minerva reappeared without Mad-Eye Moody. Albus gave Severus a look that let Severus knew that was not Alastor Moody.

At last the two reappeared. Daisy was lying across Cedric's chest, sobbing. Cedric's eyes were open, but nothing was behind them. His father ran to his face, immediately knowing his son was gone.

Sirius was kneeling at Daisy's side, and Severus at her other one. "What happened?" Sirius asked. "Are you alright? Daisy?"

But she didn't move. She kept clinging to his dead chest, blood pooling out of her arm.

Now Severus spoke, "Come here, Daisy…"

Without looking at him at his face, she moved from Cedric's chest to her favored professor, sobbing into his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her as Sirius glared. Sirius instantly knew his mistake; she was not ready to answer those questions yet, and Severus requested only to comfort her.

Severus looked into Sirius's eyes with only concern. "Let's get her to my office."

Sirius wanted to insult Severus. He wanted to make remarks about how Severus would have to return to the Dark Lord, and he isn't to be trusted. But instead, Sirius nodded as he cast a levitation charm on Daisy, so she would be weightless while Severus carried her away from the eyes of the school.

In the stands, Hermione, Ron, and George all watched in silent worry. They wanted to follow her as well, but Hermione advised them to wait.

Sirius held the door to his office open for Severus, and then the door to his private quarters. Severus took her into his library, and placed her on the couch. She was only sniffling now, her face covered in dirt and her own blood, her eyes red and puffy.

Sirius spoke softly. "You have been so brave tonight, and before we can have you sleep, we need you to be brave one more time, and tell us what happened."

At this time, Albus and Minerva entered the room. Daisy looked at all of them. Severus wanted to heal the wound on her arm, but he had to know first what caused it in case it was filled with dark magic.

"He's back." She croaked, her voice harsh. Then she stated more clearly. "Voldemort is back."

"The cup was a portkey?" Albus asked gently, he and Minerva already knew a fair amount of the story from the man that turned out to be Barty Crouch Junior.

She nodded. "It took us to a grave yard. Lucius Malfoy was already there. He killed Cedric immediately." She went on to explain the statue that held her. How Lucius took her blood, a bone, and then his own finger. Voldemort returned, and then called all of his Death Eaters back. She listed all the names she could think of.

"He spoke of one at Hogwarts helping him, and two at Hogwarts that did not appear…" She looked at Severus, knowing Karkaroff was the other.

"The one assisting him was Barty Crouch Junior." Albus interrupted. "He was working this year under the appearance of Alastor Moody. The true Alastor Moody was locked in his own trunk all year. He even admitted to casting the dark mark at the world cup. Please, continue, Daisy."

She spoke of how they dueled, and she saw various people Voldemort killed, including Cedric and her parents. They gave her time to get back to the portkey and return. "Cedric asked me to bring his body back. I couldn't leave him."

"Should we take her to the hospital wing?" Minerva asked now that the retelling of the night was complete.

"No!" Daisy said louder than she meant to. "I want to stay here."

"Let me see your arm." Severus said silkily, not that he knew he could heal it himself.

"Don't you think this is a matter for Madam Pomfrey?" Sirius cut in.

"Sirius." Daisy looked at him. "It's fine. I trust him."

Sirius nodded as Severus added, "Poppy would be best for a thorough body scan however—Expecto Patronum."

Severus waited for a remark from Sirius on his patronus form, but one never came. Severus used magic to heal the wound then simple alcohol to wipe away the blood remaining. The entire time he cleaned the wound on her forearm, the mark on his own forearm burned.

Poppy appeared once the patronus fetched her. She had no issue with Daisy stayed in Severus's quarters as long as she got the proper rest, and visitors were limited. No further injuries other than cuts and bruises were found by Poppy's scanning spell.

"Severus, you have all the potions she needs. Give her two blood replenishing potions now, and a dreamless sleep. In the morning, give another blood replenishing potion and a calming drought." However, she eyed Severus as to non-verbally say the calming droughts may continue for some time.

"Tergeo…" She cast before leaving; her wand pointed at Daisy, and all the dirt, sweat, and dried blood was removed. Daisy actually was relieved to feel as though she was freshly showered and the memories were off her. However, they were still fully alive within her mind. That was made apparent when she flinched as Poppy pointed her wand at her—something Severus suspected would occur, and why he used a muggle method to remove the blood from her arm.

The last of what Daisy remembered was taking potions from Severus and falling asleep on his couch. Sirius tucked the blankets around her, and turned around to see Albus speaking to Severus with a mournful expression.

"You need to leave. Convince him to forgive you for doubting his return. Tell him once you had your suspicions you began helping Daisy through the tournament."

"He is going to demand I bring her to him."

"Deny it all." Albus said plainly. "I have watched you both closely. You have rare moments such as tonight when you do no hide your concern for her, but you have been more discreet than you think. Show him memories of her only tolerating you. Make him think it is nothing more than a subpar student and professor relationship."

He nodded, looking pained. Severus did not hide the truth he felt in front of Sirius still keeling by the couch where Daisy slept. Turning to his childhood enemy, "She may be more comfortable in a bed. You are welcomed to anything in my quarters while I am gone."

Sirius nodded. "G—Good luck."

"Go now, Severus." Albus added as Severus left his own quarters and then walked to the edge of the castle grounds to apparate away.

It was early the next morning when Severus Snape returned. He almost lost his balance when he apparated back at the school's edge. He hadn't felt that weak, well, since thirteen years ago when Voldemort last had a human form. But Severus was able to do his job, and do it well. Severus had ample memories of helping Daisy prepare for the tasks. The only alterations he made was of how well she tolerated him.

Meanwhile, within the castle, Daisy was just waking up. Once again, she looked at the emerald green room of Severus's bedroom. Sirius was at her side instantly.

"How do you feel?"

Daisy sighed. "I dunno." She said softly. Sitting up in bed, she looked around the room more. "How is Cedric's dad?"

Sirius shook his head. He didn't even know how to attempt to answer that. Finally, he stated, "He is incredibly grateful you brought back Cedric's remains."

Daisy fidgeted with her fingers. Picking at the side of a nail, all the while she was biting her lip. A sense of nervousness in her that even if she took a deep breathe, it still remained.

Severus entered the room now. He had already stopped at his private stores for a pain relief potion, so he was able to move with ease now, and mask all of his symptoms. Severus went to the edge of the bed.

Without realizing he was even there, Daisy's finger was now starting to bleed. Severus placed a hand over her fiddling fingers and pulled a potion from his robes, "Calming drought."

"But I'm—"

"Even as an adult who has faced the Dark Lord hundreds of times, I still have days where I need them to function properly." He spoke with honesty as he looked deeply into the brown eyes.

Sirius made his presence in the room known, "We are going to get you through this. We are all going to get through this." 


	8. Year Five Part One

A/N: I apologize for the delay. It's been so long I had to spend the holiday reading the previous chapters to get caught up again (and noticing all my word errors since I type on my phone). I've been having some of the worst six months of my life since grad school ended in regards to my mental health. I finally came to my senses and realized working on my writing is going to be what gets me through this. Thank you for sticking around.

"Wake up…" Daisy spoke softly as she nudged Severus Snape's shoulder. "You're at St. Mungo's. The healers cast a brain spell to make you pleasant and agreeable."

One of Severus's eyes opened as he eyed the redheaded girl with a small smirk. "What time is it?"

"The meeting starts in ten minutes. I know your incessant need for being punctual." Daisy replied as he sat up straighter in the armchair he had fallen asleep in at Number Twelve Grimmauld Place. Severus and Sirius were forced to put their differences aside since Daisy frequently needed to start her day with a calming drought after the events of the Triwizard Tournament only a few weeks ago. She was frequently waking up in the night in a complete panic, and Severus was more or less staying with them, so one of the men could get a decent night's sleep. None of which, was known to anyone else, especially Voldemort—who was now fully returned with a body and all.

While Severus would do anything for Daisy, it was getting taxing to be a spy and not sleep well half the nights of the week, especially since he had to consistently use a great deal of mental strength to formulate false memories for Voldemort, so he would never know how close Daisy actually was to him. When Severus first had to return to his previous master's side, one of the first tasks was to disclose any information he had on Daisy. Severus showed honest memories from her first year, but as the years went on, the memories became more fabricated and less truthful. Luckily, Voldemort did not notice any flaws in the false memories, and Severus was welcomed back to the inner circle of the Death Eaters. Voldemort trusted Snape and believed Severus assisted Daisy in the tournament's tasks because he truly sensed the Dark Lord was somehow behind needing her to succeed...

Since Daisy's night in the graveyard, the Order of the Phoenix had been reinstated. Once every few weeks, the members would meet at Grimmauld Place, and since Albus Dumbledore was the secret keeper, it was one of the safest places for Daisy and anyone to be.

Daisy longed for the fresh air, but Dumbledore specified she was to remain inside. The dementors were rumored to no longer follow ministry orders, and Dumbledore did not want her to meet one outside of headquarters. Therefore, Daisy was counting down for her return to school.

After the meeting took place, and the house was empty once again except for Severus, Sirius, and Daisy, and night fell, she once again had the dream of the graveyard. She had no idea she was screaming, tangled in her sheets, feeling as though once again, she was being restrained above Voldemort's father's grave while her arm was sliced open.

Tonight was Severus's turn to aid to her. Severus was not even asleep. Truthfully, Daisy was not the primary reason for his lack of sleep. Voldemort's return was. Severus rushed into the room, turning on the lights. Seconds later, he was at her bedside.

"Daisy, you're safe. Daisy!" Her eyes opened and searched the room wildly as though she had to convince herself she was no longer in the graveyard. "You are safe." He repeated again. She sat up and pulled her knees to her chest. "I can brew you a mild dreamless sleep, one that would be safer for the long term."

She shook her head. Severus looked into her eyes, they looked dark and tired with bags under them, but he knew she was likely not going to sleep again. It's not like Severus was going to anyways. "Let's get some tea."

Slipping from the bed, her bare feet moved across the wood floors. She wore cotton, red pajamas- shorts and a collared short-sleeve top with snitches on them. Wordlessly, they made their way to the kitchen. Severus made decaffeinated tea with the hope that maybe she would relax enough to fall asleep again. They wordlessly drank. The warmth of cammomile spread through Daisy as though it pushed out all the cold awful memories.

Finally, she spoke again. "What is it going to be like this year?" She glanced at a newspaper sitting on the table by them about how Dumbledore was becoming mad in old age with his claims about Voldemort's return. Daisy knew even if she wasn't in the headline, her name would be dragged into it as well.

"I cannot disclose much, but you need to be certain to control your tongue, especially with the new Defense professor."

"So you know who it is then?" Daisy asked. Severus nodded. "You know you're my favorite professor—"

"I am not going to tell you who it is." He smirked as he took a sip of tea, but he did appreciate the comment. Severus knew she also had high regard to Remus Lupin, and he was frequently visiting their shared home.

Daisy scowled. "Oh fine—"

"And don't make up any nonsense about how you prefer Hagrid's teachings to mine." He stated plainly before she could try and guilt him further.

"Hagrid did let me ride a hippogriff in class once." She took a sip of tea as Severus eyed her with a stressful expression, still feeling confident he held the spot of the favorite professor, even if he didn't put her life at risk for some enjoyment.

They were silent for a while until, "Do you wish to talk about it?"

She knew he meant the nightmare. Daisy shook her head. It's not like it was any different than the others. Greenlight, Cedric's body, seeing her parents, running away…

"They will stop." Severus finally stated.

"When?" She sighed, pushing the empty mug away.

"You already have them less and less." He added.

"Yeah, but I still have to be medicated every day. Don't think I don't smell the calming draught in my English Breakfast each morning."

Severus was going to compliment her ability to detect potions, but he didn't want to change the topic. "More witches and wizards take them daily than you would think. There is nothing wrong with getting help when it is needed."

She sighed, and they made their way back upstairs. After tossing and turning for a while, Daisy did eventually fall asleep again.

The summer days past and the nightmares did become less frequent. The Weasleys and Hermione came to stay at headquarters for the last few weeks of the summer. Daisy was thrilled to see George more consistently.

One afternoon, at the very end of the summer, Severus was speaking to Daisy in the hallway about the plans for transportation to Hogwarts the following day. However, in the middle of his lecture about safety when traveling, Daisy seemed to be gazing over his shoulder with an absent expression.

Severus glanced in the direction to see George and Ginny speaking. "Potter, are you listening or trying to telepathically declare your love for the Weasley twin."

Daisy's eyes widened as George and Ginny stopped speaking to each other and left to avoid Snape. Daisy wasn't aware if they overheard or not. "Professor!" She hissed, the two alone now in the corridor.

Severus spoke with a slightly softer voice, "There aren't many Ravenclaws in this house, but we all know what is going on between you two." One of his brows was raised.

"What's that supposed to mean? I get O's on practically everything I do—in Potions even." She replied, missing his point.

Again, Severus eyed her. "Just stay close to your godfather tomorrow until you are on the train. I can disclose there is no planned attack, but you are not a favorite among the Death Eaters. Some may be tempted to see what their reward for your capture may be."

"Maybe then the ministry can't continue to ignore that he is—"

"And do not make comments like that freely at school or there will be consequences that not even I can shield you from."

She sighed, but nodded, once again wondering who the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor was going to be.

The next twenty-four hours passed, and Daisy was on the train with Hermione, Ron, George, Fred, and Ginny. Daisy hoped for a more blissful year. While she did not obtain a prefect position like Hermione and Ron, she did obtain the position of quidditch captain—which she preferred, and she never expected the prefect spot to go to anyone but Hermione.

When they were all in the great hall and the sorting was completed, Daisy made eye contact with Severus up at the head table. She made a face in his direction. For now, Daisy could see who the new Defense professor was, and she did not look like a threat at all.

Quickly, Daisy would realize how inaccurate she was, and that Severus really did give her the best advice possible.

Daisy and her fellow Gryffindors had Defense Against the Dark Arts as one of their first classes of the school year. One of the first instructions Dolores Umbridge gave the class was to put their wands away and to read the textbook in silence.

However, silence was not given. Hermione had her hand in the air, and after proclaiming she already read the entire textbook, and answering Umbridge's questions proving she had the text nearly memorized, she was ordered to read the text again.

Daisy saw the injustice towards Hermione, and then she spoke up, just as she did in her very first Potions class, "And if we are not allowed to practice spells, then what are we going to do in the real world when we need to defend ourselves? Or even for passing out OWLs?"

Umbridge kept her high-pitched and slow tone of voice, "My dear, Miss Potter, who do you think is going to attack students, mere children?"

"Oh, I dunno, maybe the same dark wizard that attacked me last year and killed Cedric Diggory." Her words were laced with sarcasm. Umbridge's nostrils flared, but before she could order silence— "Lord Voldemort, if you hadn't figured that one out yet."

Her toad-like features were more apparent as she tried to hide the anger on her puffed expression. "I will not have you telling lies, Miss Potter.

"Are you mad?" A gasp filled the completely silent classroom. No one other than Ron and Hermione had heard her speak of that night. "They aren't lies. I saw it happen. I saw—"

"Detention, Miss Potter!"

Daisy sneered at Umbridge but took a seat, as she remembered Severus's warning to stay calm. The rest of the class also submitted to her request for silent reading.

News of her detention traveled quickly. They had Potions later that day, and Severus requested she stay after class.

"Can you hear me?" He asked.

"What? Yes." She replied sharply, not in the mood.

"And you are comprehending what I am saying?" He replied with a brow raised. She eyed him. "So when I asked you to watch your tongue, that just slipped your mind?"

She sighed. She was standing near his workstation in the classroom while they conversed, but now she sat down on top of one of the nearby desks as shook her head. "She called me a liar for saying Cedric was murdered by Voldemort."

"Does her opinion of you matter?"

Daisy shook her head again. "I…" She paused. "I felt like I had to stand up for Cedric. I don't want that happening to anyone else."

Severus moved closer, "I understand, and those that are important to you believe you, and others will in time. But you need to be smart about your actions between now and when that occurs."

She heard him but made no effort to show it. Severus knew there was something deeper that was causing this, so he gave her silence until she finally spoke it. "I could see the thestrals pulling the carriages."

This took Severus by surprise. "You couldn't before?" She shook her head. Severus would never tell her that he arrived only hours after her parents were murdered. He would never tell her that he held her mother's dead body as Daisy cried abandoned in the nearby crib. At that moment, Severus never thought he would give a damn for the child of James Potter.

"It will get easier with time." He spoke honestly. "There will never be a day when you don't feel something at the sound of the name, but there will be a day when you no longer feel such strong emotions so suddenly."

She looked into his face. His usually harsh features were softer, an expression not many were every privy to see. "I have another class starting shortly. Come to my office after detention if anything goes awry, and please keep your wits about you, Daisy."

Detention with Umbridge was not what Daisy expected. It was just lines, but with a blood quill, and Umbridge had requested she return again the next day to let the message sink in even deeper. Daisy did her best to never give Umbridge any satisfaction as the quill tore open the back of her hand.

Four days of detention had passed before Umbridge felt the message had sunk in. Although, it wasn't much longer before Daisy was standing up again in the class, shouting at Umbridge from her desk.

Once again, she was assigned detention for speaking out of turn, and she served five nights before Umbridge discontinued them.

Severus had noticed she was wearing her robes constantly when normally she just wore her blouse and tie like the other students in the fall heat. He almost scolded her in class for nearly cutting herself while chopping due to her sleeves.

Near the end of her third bout of detentions, Daisy was engrossed in her potion. Severus was glad to see her return to her usual concentration of his class, but he noticed something when she tucked her long hair behind her ear as her sleeve fell a few inches.

The top of her hand was hugely swollen. The redness of it was hard to ignore. He saw how she noticed its exposure and quickly lowered her sleeve to hide the infliction.

Again, as the classroom dispersed as class ended, and he called out, "Potter, stay behind."

"What now?" She sulked up to his desk, with the same attitude she'd been having for weeks. Even Sirius sent her a letter about staying low, and she knew Severus was the one that mentioned the frequent detentions to him.

"Do not forget that I can also assign detentions to mouthy students."

"Sorry…" She mumbled, and Severus could only remember the same tone coming from Lily frequently decades earlier.

"Let me see your hand."

"Why?" She snapped, putting the injured hand behind her back. "There is nothing to look at."

"Then you won't mind me looking…" He said silkily as he held out his own palm.

After a few moments of eyeing each other, she reluctantly placed her own small hand on his larger one. Gently, Severus moved the robes higher to expose the skin. "This is what she has been doing in your detentions?" Daisy nodded. "And you did not think to come to me with this? Or your godfather?"

"I didn't want to bother you about it." She sighed. "Since she's the high inquisitor or whatever now…"

"Follow me. You're having dinner with me tonight." She didn't object as they went from the classroom to his office and into his own small kitchen. Severus had his back to her as he found a bowl and added a few potions to it. "Remove your cloak and roll up your sleeve."

She obeyed as he placed the bowl of warm murky water before her. "Soak it in this, and stay here. I need to speak with the headmaster."

Severus disappeared from his kitchen and was gone for almost ten minutes. Daisy wasn't sure if he looked more or less angry when he returned. However, he took a seat across from her at the table. "A house-elf will be delivering dinner soon." His voice then became much softer. "How does your hand feel?"

"Better…"

He nodded. "Daisy, how long have we known each other?"

"Five years…" She replied, not sure where he was going with this.

"Have you not come to realize over the past five years that I care for you and would do anything to keep you safe?"

"Well, not over the past five years, but four—I really did think you were trying to kill me my first year." Severus tried not to roll his eyes. "But… Yeah…" She finally added softly.

"You are not bothering me by coming to me. Please do so in the future." She nodded, and their conversation dissolved as a house-elf appeared.

Even though Daisy was finally learning to keep her cool in class, Hermione was livid about what was going on, or more like what wasn't going on, in Defense classes.

"We need a proper teacher!" She hissed one night at dinner. Lately, Hermione had been trying to convince Daisy to lead a sort of tutoring group. However, Daisy was trying to follow Snape's advice now about laying low. "We aren't going to pass our OWLs!" She continued on.

"Tell you what, I'll think about it…" Daisy finally responded after Hermione vented to her for a third time about passing OWLS, and Hermione looked pleased.

That night once their dinner plates were empty, Daisy didn't follow Hermione and Ron back to their common room. Instead, she went down to the dungeons and knocked on the office door of her professor who was not at dinner.

The door opened, and Severus peered down his nose at her. "Come in…"

Daisy wasn't sure why she was there. She knew Severus wasn't going to give her permission to break school rules. She wondered if she was doing it as an excuse for Hermione, but part of her wanted to practice defensive spells.

Aimlessly, she walked around the office, looking at the various jars on the wall. "Did you come here just to look at potion ingredients, Daisy?" He asked, wondering if she came to ask for more calming draught.

She made her way over to her usual seat. "Hermione wants me to start a club for teaching defensive spells."

"Why does Miss Granger think this is a good idea?" He asked, glad she wasn't out of the last bottle he gave her already.

"She is worried about passing her OWLs, and I know she is getting fed up with Umbridge."

Severus nodded, "Do you think _Professor_ Umbridge would approve of such a club?"

"Nope."

Severus sighed, "Are you coming to me asking for permission to break school rules?"

Daisy didn't respond right away. "I'm not exactly certain. I want to learn more defensive spells, but I don't think I'm the person to lead any sort of organization, and that wouldn't be laying low..."

"Why do you not think you would be a prime individual to lead such organization?" Severus asked plainly, trying to get her to open up.

"Because I've never really done anything." She replied, feeling honest, surprised he was entertaining the idea.

"You have never done anything?—"

Daisy interrupted the exasperated sounding Snape. "No, everything has been luck or something else happens to help me along the way. I don't know what I'm doing whenever I am before Voldemort."

"You do not give yourself any credit. No one cast the spells that saved your life except you."

"I didn't save anyone." She said softly.

"Your godfather and I are more than satisfied that you have consistently been able to save yourself…" Then he added, "Even though for the majority of the situations, you put yourself into them. Getting the stone, going into the chamber, running into the shrieking shack…"

The look she gave him said a thousand words, and he only raised his brows at her, both their points had been made.

Daisy ended up accepting Hermione's proposal to start a very small Defense study group. They met in the Hog's Head for their first meeting, and Daisy realized the group was the furthest from small, but George was there, and that gave her a bit more courage. They all decided on the Room of Requirements for their meetings, and Hermione crafted coins with the meeting times for added secrecy.

Daisy never followed up with Severus or Sirius about these meetings, but Daisy did not know she was being followed, and the meetings did not escape their knowledge, along with the Headmaster's.

Following all of this, Umbridge made special decrees about organizations needing to be required through her. However, the new group, Dumbledore's Army, did not take note of that. They continued to meet through the entire fall and into the winter.

Eventually, Christmas came around. During the days before the holiday, George and Daisy became exceptionally closer. They stayed behind in the Room of Requirements once everyone had left nearly every single time, sitting cross-legged on the floor, finally loosening their nerves around each other.

On the last day before holiday, they were leaving the empty room, but as George's hand went to open the door, he instead turned around and cupped Daisy's face with his hand, his other hand on her waist now. Without speaking, he tilted his head, gently kissed her on the lips. Daisy dropped the Maurader's Map from her hands and embraced him as the kiss grew in passion until they finally separated, both blushing and smiling. The walked back to their common room with their smiles not ceasing as they made awkward conversation.

Daisy went home to headquarters for holiday, and was actually having an enjoyable time with Sirius and the Order members that would come in and out. Remus was frequently a dinner guest. Daisy would sit as the two spoke of James and stories about the trouble they would get into. Sirus and Remus still couldn't believe the Marauder's Map made its way into Daisy's possession so many years later.

All was well until one night. Sirius and Remus were in the sitting room, brandy in hands, reminiscing their days at Hogwarts. Remus couldn't describe the joy of having his mate back, after all the years of thinking he lost everyone on that fateful Halloween night. They both heard screams coming from a few floors above them. They raced to her room.

"Daisy!" Sirius shook her as she thrashed on the bed, tangled in the sheets. It had been months since she had a real nightmare. "Wake up!"

When she opened her eyes, she immediately asked, "Where is Mr. Weasley?" Sirius looked at her questioningly. "Is he at the Ministry? Is he by the Department of Mysteries?"

Sirius stared at her, with no idea how she knew. He looked at Remus, who looked even more astounded.

"He was attacked! By a snake! Someone needs to help him!"

Sirius gave her hand a squeeze and left the room, mouthing to Remus to stay with her. The first person Sirius alerted was Dumbledore- Daisy's dreams had been parallel to actual events before, and so there was a chance that Arthur's life was at risk. Dumbledore immediately Floo-ed somewhere after getting the briefest of details, leaving Sirius alone in the headmaster's office.

Knowing who could assist, Sirius made his way to the door and down flights of stairs. After pounding on the Potions office door for a few minutes, a messy-haired Snape opened the door in a dark green bathrobe.

After an instinctual quip about being woken up by a mutt, Severus knew the situation was dire if Sirius was at Hogwarts. "We need you in London. Daisy dreamed an attack on Arthur." Before Severus could ask, "Yes, he is actually on guard tonight. Let's go, no one calms her down better than you." Severus grabbed a vial of calming draught and followed Sirius's instructions as they both took the Floo to Sirius's London home.

Daisy was sitting at the kitchen table, looking distraught, Remus was trying to calm down her breathing, holding her tightly against his chest, instructing her on taking deep breaths. Severus took a seat next to her on the other side, and Sirius sat down across from them.

"Take this." Severus handed her the calming potion. Daisy obliged, and her hyperventilating ceased. Remus loosened his hold on her, keeping a hand on her shoulder as Severus repeated to her that Dumbledore was handling everything.

It felt like hours, but eventually Albus Dumbledore came through. Daisy's vision was correct. Arthur Weasley would have died without it.

Then Dumbledore looked Severus in the eye before leaving once again. "It is time. Tonight, we can't wait."

Severus nodded, and Daisy looked confused. "Follow me." He instructed as they moved from the kitchen to the library. "Sit."

"What is going on? How did I see that?"

"You are somehow possessing the Dark Lord. You need to learn how to block this connection before he learns of it and possess you." He replied, colder than usual. The fact that Daisy was seeing the vision through the eyes of his snake terrified even Severus.

"He what?" She stammered.

"We are going to begin Occlumency training." She looked confused, and he sighed. How had no one mentioned the art of Occlumency to her before? "It is the skill of controlling your mind, sensing and blocking out any intrusions."

"You mean, he could read my mind?" She asked, sounding frightened. She was aware Severus could read minds after he utilized it once on her to hear the basilisk's voice during her second year.

"Read your mind, control you, unhinge you…" Severus replied coldly, and then he paused, momentarily forgetting who he was speaking to. "You can prevent all of that though.

"With Occlumency?" She asked.

He nodded as he began to explain what it took to be an Occlemens and the difference between that and a Legilimens as he conjured pillows on the floor around her seat.

It was what felt like hours later, although it was probably just one hour when Snape finally gave Daisy a break in practicing after nearly begging him. "Professor, please." She sounded tired, and her scar was throbbing."

She demonstrated barely any improvement, although he wasn't surprised. It was the middle of the night after witnessing something traumatic, and he was impressed by the little she had done.

"Can we stop?" She said softly after he just pressed himself into her mind. He had viewed some of her worst childhood memories. Being chased up a tree by a dog, her aunt cutting her long hair uneven and to her ears, her uncle shouting at her, Dudley pushing her, and apparating to the roof of the school.

"We can stop." Severus said as he helped her back up for what felt like the hundredth time as he felt such sadness for her earlier life experiences. "You did well."

Daisy didn't even acknowledge his words as she left the room. She didn't know how Mr. Weasley was doing at St. Mungo's, and she didn't know when she'd get an update. She didn't know why she possessed the Dark Lord, and her scar had never felt worse. Silently, she went up to her room, thinking she'd fall asleep instantly, but she was only in that awful state of feeling exhausted but awake nonetheless.

Sleep never found her, even when the light started to glow through her bedroom curtains. She stumbled down the stairs to find Severus and Sirius sitting with mugs of tea in their hands, Remus was frying something on the stove. They all looked at her when she entered.

"What did you do to her?" Sirius snapped at Severus when he saw Daisy's appearance. Neither had seen her so exhausted looking. The bags under her eyes were dark and puffy. Her hair was stringy and tangled looking from the sweat of her dream before, and from tossing in her bed for hours.

"Not helpful, Sirius..." Remus added, trying to defuse the situation.

"Have you slept?" Severus asked, sounding concerned. She shook her head. Severus went to the medicinal cupboard and pulled out a sleeping draught. "You need to sleep—" She opened her mouth to interject about the time of day, but he didn't let her. "You need to get to bed now. Mr. Weasley is in good hands. The Weasleys are grateful for what you did." She closed her mouth now that Severus did answer all of the concerns she had.

"Go to your room. You need sleep." Sirius added.

Groggily, she nodded and turned around, with Severus behind her.

She climbed into bed once again as Severus sat on the side. "Next time, come to me if you cannot find sleep. I wasn't expecting you to have any trouble. Rest is important afterward."

"Neither was I…" She grumbled as she took the sleeping potion.

"I'll check on you in a few hours. Then we'll need to work on Occlumency again. Remember to clear your mind before sleeping."

Severus watched as she tried to nod, but her eyelids fell too heavy before she could finish the expression, and she sunk back into her pillows. He watched her for a moment before standing to find Sirius in the doorway.

"I just received word that Arthur is stable. I didn't know if I'd catch her or not." Remus said as they bumped into each other on the top of the stairs.

"She'll be asleep for at least five or six hours," Severus responded. "But she will be glad to hear that."

"Are you working with her again tonight?" Sirius asked in a tone that showed no displeasure in who he was speaking to when they all were in the kitchen once again

.

Severus nodded. "Unfortunately we have to, but it can be minimal, and she will need a sleeping draught after and to be in bed early."

"How did she do it?" Remus asked.

"I need coffee before I can begin hypotheticals…" Severus sighed since he was up most of the night as well. Once they had their second mugs of caffeine before them, "Did Albus tell you about what happened in her second year?"

"Something about a diary and possessing the youngest Weasley girl…" Sirius replied as Remus nodded.

"Miss Weasley came into possession of a horcrux made by the Dark Lord." Severus stated, sounding calmer than he was feeling.

"How?" Sirius felt a knot in his stomach. "A horcrux? You mean those are real? I only heard about them during my youth. My cousin Bellatrix had an awful book she used to quote to impress others at family dinners."

Remus looked horrified.

"Lucius Malfoy somehow slipped it to her. He wasn't even aware of what it was."

"What does this mean about her possessing him?" Sirius asked.

"I wish I knew," Severus replied honestly. "But this is not a normal soul we are dealing with. Maybe she was able to view him because of the fragile state he is in, and he was experiencing strong emotions… They are tied in some way, the scar, the Parsetonge, their wands..."

"I see now why Occlumency is necessary at the rate you are going…" Remus added. "But she said she viewed it from the snake."

Severus put his mug down. "You're correct."

A look of horror fell across both of their faces. They both realized that Voldemort did make more than one horcrux, and the second one was his pet snake, and Daisy was able to somehow possess this bit of his soul. "This stays between us and Albus." Sirius nodded.

"I will return shortly." Severus rose. "I have matters to tend to at Malfoy Manor."

Hours later, Severus did return. Before Daisy awoke, he shared knowledge with Sirius and Remus about how the snake must die in order to destroy the horcrux. It couldn't just be killed like any other creature. They both stopped speaking once they heard the floor creak above them, and minutes later, Daisy emerged.

"How do you feel?" Sirius asked.

"Better... But my scar is throbbing..." She groaned as she turned the kettle on.

"Unfortunately, we need to begin again shortly." Severus added. "Having a baseline is crucial at the moment."

Daisy gave him a look that was identical to a peeved Lily, almost making the three men lose focus on the seriousness of the conversation.

"Only a few hours, then you'll get to sleep again."

She didn't respond as she took a seat at the kitchen table. With her nose in her mug, she looked down the long table to see a silver orb, like a saucer.

"What's that?" She motioned.

"Dumbledore's pensive," Sirius responded first. "They hold memories. Severus isn't going to let you privy to all his thoughts if you break through his defenses."

Her first thought was about what Snape could be hiding, and her second thought was, "So I can read minds too, even though I'm not learning Legilimency?"

"It would be accidental at this point," Severus responded. "If your barriers are strong enough, the spell I cast may rebound onto me."

She nodded, taking a sip from her mug, wondering what Snape was needing to hide from her.

An hour or so later, they were back in the room. When she entered, she saw the pensive had a glowing look about it with white steam floating off of it.

"They have nothing to do with you." Severus lied convincingly as she turned from the pensive to her instructor. Little did Daisy know, almost all of the memories within the pensive were about her.

Earlier, Snape had to withdrawal a few of his worst childhood memories pertaining to his parents, being taunted by Sirius, James, and Remus then, subsequently, calling Lily mudblood, the moment he took the Dark Mark, overhearing Daisy's prophecy being made and giving that information to Voldemort, then upon realizing who he endangered, the moment he pleaded to Dumbledore to save Lily- with no care to protecting James or their child.

The final memory he withdrew was the moment he visited their rubbled home in Godric's Hollow, minutes after the attack by Voldemort. Severus held Lily's body as Daisy cried alone nearby. Even at the time, Severus knew it was cold to ignore the orphaned child. Severus was fully aware that upon her seeing those memories there would be no return. Daisy would never forgive him if she realized he was the reason her life was the way it was. When Severus relayed the overheard prophecy made by Trelawney to the Dark Lord, Severus changed her life by marking her parents for dead.

Severus had to withdrawal the memories before Daisy arrived because of how shaken they still made him to this day when they were brought to the forefront of his mind. Regret consumed him in a circle of obsessive thoughts until Daisy walked through the door.

Daisy, again, surprised Severus with her abilities. After a few hours of work, she was sent to bed with another sleeping draught.

She woke late in the evening. Again, they worked together until she was once again told to sleep and recover. Severus explained her base of defenses were sound enough that she should no longer feel such exhaustion afterward.

The next few days proved Severus to be correct. No longer was Daisy so fatigued after their sessions. Finally, her first layer of defenses were so strong that it took Severus a moment to break through.

"This means we're done then?" Daisy asked after hearing the news.

"Not quite. The most developed have multiple layers of defences. Tomorrow we work on your secondary barriers."

Daisy eyed him with her brown eyes. No longer did James even cross Severus's mind when she gave him that trademark expression.

"Tomorrow," Severus repeated.

"I heard you," Daisy grumbled as she rubbed her throbbing scar.

The final day of the holiday break arrived. Daisy's primary and secondary defenses were more established than Severus thought they would be in their limited time. He needed to work more on her secondary defenses before they could lessen their lessons. Tertiary defenses was something the Dark Lord hadn't even developed, allowing Severus to be a successful spy.

Severus pointed his wand at Daisy as she focused her mind, trying her best to work on her outermost protection- which was successful. Her secondary defenses were so strong, and Severus wasn't expecting this, that his spell was entirely rebouded, and Daisy entered his own mind. She understood now why Severus said it was not a book. Tendrils of thoughts surrounded her vision. She latched onto one when she saw long and flowing red hair.

"Leave us alone, James!" Lily shouted as James levitated her book out of her hands and into his, practicing his summoning charm- meaning they were fourth years. Severus stood as Lily rose from their study spot under a tree, but he didn't approach James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter as Lily did.

"James, we actually need to study," Remus added, clearly having not changed much over the years.

"I'll give the book back when you agree to go out with me, Evans. The year is almost done." James taunted.

"Maybe work on your ego as well as your exams." Lily snapped as she grabbed her book from his hands.

James added something about Snivellus hanging around, but Daisy never heard it because Severus pushed her from his mind.

Daisy looked into his dark eyes, unsure how he would react. Calmly, he stated with a plain expression, "That was your best work. We'll continue the rest at school every few evenings."

"That's all you have to say?" She asked as he was about to leave the room.

"I was expecting the spell to rebound when you finalized your secondary walls." She looked at him stunned. To Severus, there was nothing abnormal about seeing James bother Lily. To Daisy, she had no idea her parents were not always soulmates.

Severus was under more stress than usual the past few days since he had begun trying to secretly pry into the Dark Lord's mind for information on other horcruxes once a week at meetings, and he was still constantly wracking his mind about how Daisy was able to possess a horcrux. His thoughts were not focused on how Daisy may be perceiving the situation of seeing her young parents as rivals.

Nevertheless, he crossed the room in a few steps and gave her shoulder a squeeze. "I'll see you at the castle. Be extra aware of your surroundings until you are safely on the train."

She nodded, and he turned to leave.

After packing her trunk, she made her way to the living room. She was expecting to see Sirius, but Remus was the only one sitting before the fire. "You seem bothered," He commented.

"You noticed?" Her response was laced with sarcasm. Severus gave Remus an update on Daisy's second boundaries being able to rebound before he took off for Hogwarts, and Remus was left to only assume what had occurred.

"Severus has the habit of being focused too strongly on protection sometimes." Remus began, seeing the way his comment caught Daisy's attention he continued. "That was why your mother never dated him. He was focused on Lily's safety more than her happiness at times, often coming off as even aloof to her feelings."

Daisy was silent. She was somewhat close to Remus since he helped her with her Patronus Charm, but their deeper conversations were few and far between, but she didn't feel like searching the house to find Sirius for something Remus would know.

"Did my parents always like each other?"

Remus couldn't stop himself from chuckling as he shook his head. "What did you see when the spell backfired?"

"My dad spelled a book from my mom's hands while she was with Professor Snape, and then she yelled at him about his ego when he asked her out. You

and Sirius were there too."

Remus leaned back in his chair. "I remember that now. James did have a bit of an ego until he got older; anyone will tell you that, but he was always a kind person, willing to become an animagi just so I wasn't alone on the full moons. Sirius was really who helped James get it together. Before our sixth year, Sirius ran away from his family, and James was there for him. From that point on, he continued to mature to the point he was Head Boy, and then Lily agreed to date him. The rest is history. They hit it off and were in love instantly, getting married right after school ended."

Daisy nodded, feeling better. Remus stood, "It's late, you should get ready for bed." He kissed the top of her forehead before leaving the room.

The next day went by as planned as Daisy arrived at the train station and boarded the Hogwarts Express. "Ron, where is George at?" Daisy asked when the three of them were in a cabin together.

"Dunno, why?" Ron replied as Hermione rolled her eyes at his naivete.

"I'm going to go look for him, just see how his holiday was..." She said as she slipped out of the cabin.

"But we all were at Headquarters together the past two weeks," Ron questioned.

"They're dating," Hermione hissed as she returned to her book.

Daisy finally found George and Fred in their own cabin. "I'm going to find Angelina..." Fred said as he slipped out the door, leaving Daisy and George alone.

"I have good news," George began. "We have a buyer for our joke shop products. This proves we have products worth making a shop for."

"Please take the money from last year's tournament." Daisy urged for the third time. Before George could give her the usual reasoning about not wanting to take her money, she interrupted, "I'm going to just give it to Fred if you don't take it. I don't want it; I never have. What we all could use these days is a laugh." George eyed her before agreeing. "Get the store in Diagon Alley. You only have a few months of school left."

He nodded again before they came together in a kiss.

The remaining months at school were uneventful. She confessed to Snape that dreams were still occurring before the door for the Department of Mysteries- which continued to concern Severus as to why they still continued. Daisy's teaching for Dumbledore's Army was going well. It was going to be obvious during the O.W.L.s who was getting assistance from Daisy and who was not. Eventually, the start of the fifth year's O.W.L.s came. Daisy excelled at Charms, Transfiguration, Herbology, and Defense Against the Dark Arts in the first week. Potions, Care of Magical Creatures, and Astronomy went well for her in the second week. Relief was over the Golden Trio as they went to bed around three in the morning on Wednesday after finishing their Astronomy exam. Hermione was done for the day, but Daisy and Ron had Divination to complete the following afternoon. They were in the home stretch with only History of Magic yet on Thursday.

Daisy ended up having to wake Ron up in the afternoon before they were needed in the Great Hall for Divination. Little did she know, she wouldn't even complete her exam. Something about the room being warm and not having slept the night before, she couldn't keep her eyes open. Somehow she put her quill down and sleep found her.

She woke with a jolt to the sound of papers being collected. 'Daisy James Potter' was the only thing etched onto her parchment. But she didn't care. She had another vision, and she needed to speak to Snape immediately. She gave Ron a look and dashed from the room and down the stairs to the dungeon. After pounding on Snape's door, trying to unlock it herself, and pounding more- finally, she heard something from behind her, but it wasn't the voice she was expecting.

"Do I need to make a decree about breaking into professor's offices?" She turned around to be face to face with the pink, toad-like Umbridge. "Come to my office, Miss Potter."

"You don't understand; I need to speak to Professor Snape. It is urgent."

"There is nothing you cannot tell me." She replied in the fake sweet tone.

"Turns out there is..." She snapped as she took off running down the dungeon corridors.

"Get back here!" She heard from behind, but she didn't stop, not until she was forced to due to being stunned by Umbridge at the top of the stairs before the Great Hall. Daisy was relieved to see Ron standing nearby, clearly waiting for her to return, but not expecting her to return in this way. "Get Snape!" She pleaded as she tried to wiggle out of the body bind. Ron nodded and took off.

Umbridge caught up with Daisy and began to levitate her to her office, lecturing her about her behavior and subsequent punishment along the way. Once she was in a chair of her office, she released the hex.

A knock came on the office door. Umbridge opened it to see Severus standing there. "Just who I was needing!" She spoke brightly. "I need some Veritaserum, Professor Snape."

"I'm afraid I am all out from all your other interrogations on students."

"Well, I need more," She spat.

"What has Potter done that requires such means?" Snape replied in the tone he normally used to speak to first years.

"I found her trying to enter your locked office," Umbridge replied.

Casually, Severus responded, "Typically, I am available in my office. I find that nothing out of the ordinary."

Daisy was trying to get Severus's attention, keeping her thoughts only on the dream in case he could read her mind. But Severus didn't seem to act as though anything abnormal was occurring. Daisy was getting more and more frustrated at the situation. Sirius could be dead by now. Finally, "He has Padfoot! He has Padfoot at the place!"

"Who is Padfoot? Where what is?" Umbridge snapped.

"No idea..." Severus replied, looking right at her. Daisy was unsure if he understood due to his totally blank expression. "She is prone to outbursts when stressed. It's O.W.L.s currently. I can escort her to the Hospital Wing for a calming draught-"

"She is staying with me!" Then she turned to Daisy, "I know you've been involved with an unregistered club!"

"If there is nothing you need from me, I have a class starting shortly," Severus remarked.

"Fine, go." Umbridge spat before looking back at Daisy. "I have other methods for getting the truth out of you..."

A/N: I realize now that my reasoning behind my temporary abandonment of my story was due to not being able to decide how to end the fifth year. I am conflicted on if I want Sirius or maybe Remus to fall behind the veil or have Daisy speak to Severus before attempting to get to the Ministry... Having a character die makes my writing of sixth year easier since there are emotional situations to write, but I truly hate killing off a favorite character of mine. What do you want to see?


	9. Year Five Part Two

"Fine, go." Umbridge spat as Severus left the room and before looking back at Daisy. "I have other methods for getting the truth out of you..."

Daisy cringed, hoping Severus wasn't out of earshot yet, but she heard his footsteps leaving quickly.

Her mind went back to her vision. Lucius Malfoy was torturing Sirius, demanding that Sirus get Daisy to the Department of Mysteries at the Ministry. Daisy didn't know what was there, but she'd been seeing that area for some time now, even before Arthur Weasley's attack. The visions were so real that she felt like she was actually there. She'd never been to there, but it was as though she slid through the Ministry until she always reached that area. Prior to starting Occlumency lessons with Snape, she never knew where her dreams were leading her until she could actually read a directory as she moved through the area.

Umbridge's movements brought Daisy back to reality as she shut and locked her door then she put a framed photo of Fudge faced down on her desk. "What he doesn't know won't hurt him..." There was a slight shake to her tone of voice, which worried Daisy.

She eyed the room, looking for an exit. Her wand was in her robes pocket, she could feel it against her side, but she knew if she reached for it then Umbridge would stun her first since her wand was already within her hand. There was no reaching the door; she'd have to try and spell it open anyways. Sweat began to form on her brow as Umbridge stuttered, "Cru-cru."

Daisy looked to her right to see a blazing fire next to her, and on the mantle was a glass bowl full of Floo powder.

"Crucio!"

But the curse missed Daisy as she leapt from her chair, tossed the powder into the flames and disappeared from the office. She landed harshly in the lobby of the Ministry of Magic. It was silent and empty since it was after usual working hours, but she knew where to go. She had made this trip before in her dreams. As she walked, she thought to herself that it probably would have been better to Floo to Snape's office or even Sirius's house. She knew there was a chance this wasn't real. She knew there was a chance this was all to lure her here.

After a few minutes, she pushed into the Department of Mysteries, and after a few minutes more, she was standing in rows of glass balls. Names were written below each one, some covered in more layers of dust than others. Quickly, she raced to where her name would be. After glancing at a few other Potters, covered in thick dust, she saw a newer looking one with her own name on it.

Slowly and hesitantly, she reached up and grabbed it.

"Now give that to me..." A voice from behind her made her spin around. She was face to face with Lucius Malfoy, and then other known Death Eaters began to come from behind him. She recognized Bellatrix Lestrange.

"I said give that to me." He sneered with more passion, his wand pointing at her, and then he was thrown backward by a powerful spell. The other Death Eaters looked confused until they saw Sirius Black near them.

"No one points a wand at my goddaughter." Sirius gave Daisy a wink. "Let's get you out of here."

Daisy was filled with relief and regret at the same time. Sirius was safe, but that also meant he was never in danger. Other Order members started appearing, and curses began being thrown across the room. Sirius grabbed her elbow and moved her out of the way, but they heard Malfoy shouting something about not letting her get away.

Then it was as though time moved incredibly fast. Sirius and Daisy were running when Bellatrix appeared before them, instantly throwing curses at Sirius that he even had a hard time blocking. "Hand over the prophecy!" She snapped.

"Don't do it, Daisy." Sirius laughed. "This isn't anything I can't handle-"

And then his voice stopped as a curse hit him right in the chest. Sirius sunk to his knees and wasn't moving.

"Sirius!" Daisy bellowed.

"Hand me the prophecy," Bellatrix ordered.

"Sirus!" Daisy screamed. Her godfather wasn't moving, and she wasn't finding a pulse.

Lupin must have heard her screams. Quickly, Bellatrix was stunned, and Lupin put his arm around her shoulder, "Run!"

The two raced down the corridor, tears silently streaming down Daisy's face as more curses flew at them. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Tonks stun the Death Eaters casting spells at the two. When they were both getting out of breath, they had reached the lobby, and it seemed as though they were alone.

"Sirius..." Daisy began, her lip trembling not knowing the fate of her godfather.

But before Lupin could speak, a man appeared before them. Daisy fell to the ground, clutching her scar. It felt like her forehead was being split open. Lupin shielded himself between Daisy and Lord Voldemort. Lupin was speechless, never before seeing the man in the flesh before.

"Avada-"

"No!" Daisy screamed, but both of their shouts were silenced as another figure appeared, stopping Voldemort from finishing his curse.

Albus Dumbledore marched forward, and dueling began between the two of them as Lupin pulled Daisy away to the corner of the room. Never before had Daisy witnessed such dueling. At one point, Voldemort had shards of glass racing towards Daisy and Lupin. She felt Lupin try to shield her as much as possible, but it was only sand when it reached them due to Dumbledore's spell.

As quickly as everything started, the dueling was soon over. Voldemort seemed to disappear. Dumbledore still had a worried expression, but Daisy and Lupin seemed to relax momentarily as they moved from the corner of the room.

But something made Daisy crash to her knees so quickly that she couldn't even stop herself from smashing into the marble floor. The pain in her knees and bottom lip from the crash wasn't even present in her mind because it was entirely taken over.

"You can't stop me, old man..." Daisy spat in a tone that didn't below to her. Before Voldemort could force her to say anything further, she used her Occlumency skills to the best of her ability, trying to push him out of her mind, but it seemed pointless. It was as though he was attached to a part of her; however, Voldemort soon left on his own accord as was standing before the crouching Daisy, blood trickling down her lip where her teeth had been forced into her bottom lip in the fall.

"You will lose, Daisy Potter-"

Voldemort stopped abruptly. At first, Daisy only saw Dumbledore and Lupin with their wands raised, but then she saw Fudge and a few other officials standing in the fireplaces of the lobby.

"He's back!" Fudge gave a shriek as Voldemort disapparated from sight with a pop.

"Sirius," Daisy whispered as she turned to take off. Remus tried to grab onto her, not knowing if it was safe back in the Department of Mysteries, but he wasn't quick enough. When she saw Sirius's body, still looking lifeless, she sprinted as fast as she could. No other Death Eaters were in the area. Tonks was slowly moving towards Daisy as she crouched next to Sirius, tears streaming onto his chest as she grasped at him. Lupin appeared next to her again. Then someone touched her back. Daisy turned to see Severus kneeling behind her. Little did she know, Dumbledore had sent his patronus to him, knowing Daisy would need him once the Death Eaters and Voldemort had vanished.

Daisy launched herself into Severus's arms, sobbing into his neck; the consequences of her actions controlling her. He squeezed her tightly, as Lupin disappeared with Sirius- straight to St Mungos. "Let's go back home," Severus stated. They stood up as Daisy wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her robes, and they moved from the department back to the lobby. Severus wished to return by Floo. He wanted to arrive directly back to his office and avoid Umbridge.

Moments later, they landed in the fireplace of the dungeons. Severus steadied Daisy as they landed, and then she went straight to the chair beside his desk, pulling her legs to her chest and resting her head on her knees. Severus took his seat behind his desk, wanting to lecture her on her thoughtless actions. Little did he know, she left the castle to avoid an unforgivable curse. However, her destination was reckless, but she was fully aware of that- as well as the potential repercussions of her actions. Her mind could only focus on her motionless godfather.

"He's been taken to St Mungos," Severus stated. "Lupin should be back with an update shortly."

Daisy looked up from her feet. "He's not dead?"

"He was hit with dark magic, but it wasn't a killing curse." Severus sighed, knowing he couldn't get her hopes up because Sirius's fate was still very uncertain. "We will find out how he is doing shortly." Daisy nodded. "Until then, I believe we have a chance to speak about the recklessness of your actions." She looked up at him, her face showing her emotional distress. Severus knew she already felt badly for her actions, and scolding her would do nothing but increase her distress.

He was surprised when she spoke, "She was about to cast the Cruciatus Curse on me. I couldn't get out through the door. I should have used the Floo to come here, but Sirius was all I could think about."

"How do you know that was the spell of her choice?" He spoke sounding breathless.

"She was put the picture of Fudge away on her desk, and then tried saying it a few times. I knew the door was locked, and I couldn't get there in time. Then I saw the Floo powder on the mantle...I only moved out of the way after it was cast." She paused, her breathing was quickened, sounding like a mild hyperventilation. "What if he's not okay?" She looked up at Severus, pleading in her eyes.

"I doubt Bellatrix would actually cast a spell with devastating consequences on someone of her family. She would view it as a waste of magical blood spilled." Severus paused. He needed to speak to Albus about this; he was surely dealing with the minister and Umbridge now if he was back to the castle already.

Moving across the room, Severus knelt before Daisy. "I need to go speak to Professor Dumbledore. I'll be back momentarily." She nodded as he stood and gave her shoulder a gently squeeze before leaving the room.

Severus didn't want to leave Daisy alone long, so he quickly moved to the headmaster's office. Severus didn't think Umbridge stood a chance at remaining at the school, but he wanted to be certain, and Daisy near Unforgiveable Curse would be impactful.

Ten minutes passed and Severus was back in his office. Daisy was in the same position and silent. Severus didn't want to lecture her further, at least not until the fate of Sirius Black was determined.

It seemed like hours when a knock came on the door. Before Severus could get up from his own chair, Daisy leapt to it and pulled it open, hoping to see Remus Lupin or even Sirius, but it was Albus Dumbledore on the other side. Daisy couldn't hide her disappointment.

Severus eyed Albus, clearly questioning his timing. It was apparent that Severus knew what this conversation was going to hold. The only aspect Severus didn't know was how much Albus was going to share with Daisy.

"Daisy, if I could have a word…"

She nodded as Severus left his own seat behind his desk for the headmaster to use. Nervously, Daisy moved to the seat on the other side of the desk. Her knees were wobbling, wondering if he was here to tell her about Sirius.

"First, I want to say that I have no news on your godfather." Some weight lifted from her. "But we need to discuss what happened tonight." His tone wasn't harsh; it was even softer and more gentle than it usually was. "Do you still have the glass orb?"

Nodding, she took the glass ball from her pocket. She didn't understand why Lucius Malfoy wanted this, and she didn't understand why he couldn't get it off the shelf.

"Before you were born, a Seer made a prophecy about Lord Voldemort. That Seer was Professor Trelawney. Now the area in the Department of Mysteries that you were in is full of these orbs. Each time a prophecy is made, an orb is created. Some never know about its creation but some do. Your prophecy may have never been known if Professor Trelawney was not overheard when she made it, but it was. It was repeated to Lord Voldemort."

Severus felt his heartrate rise. He trusted Albus to not give away his secrets, but this was far too close to comfort.

"Who told him?" Daisy asked softly.

Albus sighed. "Someone was in the Hogshead that evening when she had her interview for the Divination post." Sighing again, "I probably wouldn't have hired her if she didn't make that, but then I wanted to keep her close. I didn't think she had a seeing eye until the prophecy was made, but she didn't even seem to recall making it."

"What was the prophecy?" She asked again.

Albus beckoned his hand to Daisy and she handed him the ball. Once it was in Albus's hand, he dropped it on Severus's hard wooden desk. At first Daisy thought it slipped, but then the voice of Professor Trelawney filled the air.

"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches. Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies, and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not , and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives…"

Her mind was frozen by the last words. "One of us has to kill each other?"

"Yes and no." Albus stated. "A prophecy being made doesn't mean it has to be followed through. That room was full of prophecies, most never heard and never acted upon. Can you think of another person the prophecy may have been able to refer to?"

Daisy made a face, not sure what he meant.

"Neville Longbottom had parents who fought Voldemort three times—"

"And he was born in July…" Daisy finished. "So why doesn't Neville have to do this then?"

"Neville doesn't have to do anything, the same as you. You could have gone your entire life not acting upon this, but due to the choices you have made and Voldemort has made, the prophecy seems to be more into action. It is your free will that is allowing it to unfold. Can you imagine your life not working towards defeating Voldemort?"

She shook her head.

"Exactly. The knowledge of the prophecy allows us to make it happen."

"Why did he chose me instead of Neville?" She asked, unsure how someone could make that decision based on infants.

"I believe Voldemort saw you as more of a threat. You are not a pureblood such as Neville, similar to Lord Voldemort."

She was silent until, "So you're saying I do have to kill Voldemort then?"

"I'm saying you will because that is how your life has set itself up since Voldemort discovered the prophecy…" Albus replied.

"So if he never found out that prophecy…" Daisy began thinking. "I would be normal…"

"Albus quickly glanced at Severus, "You would be as normal as any other child alive in a war."

Before Albus could say anything further, the fireplace illuminated green and Remus Lupin walked in. Daisy began to physically shake and look as though she was going to be sick until Remus looked at her and said, "He's going to be just fine." A cry of joy came from Daisy as her eyes watered with relief. "I am sure no one would mind if you visited him." Lupin looked to Dumbledore, who nodded.

They both left in a blur of green flames. Severus looked at Albus from the back of his office, where he was standing. "You had to tell her the prophecy was overheard?"

Albus eyed him, "That is as much as I would ever tell her, but there is more I need to tell you." Severus sat down across from his own desk. "This is difficult for me to say, Severus. This will be difficult for you to hear… There is a seventh horcrux."

"Find it then and destroy it. Daisy doesn't need to fulfill the damn prophecy. I'll cast a killing curse at him when he is human."

Shaking his head, "The night Lily and James were killed, Voldemort had intended on making his final horcrux—his last horcrux. It didn't go as planned."

Severus was having a hard time maintaining composure. His breathing was quickened.

"He likely had an object of Godric Gryffindor's on him when he went to Godric's Hollow that night, intending on that becoming the final horcrux. There is a reason Daisy can talk to snakes, and there is a reason she can see inside Voldemort's mind. When the spell backfired, the piece of his soul, intended for the horcrux, latched onto the only living thing in the room."

"So when the time comes, she must die?" Severus asked quietly.

Albus looked just as bothered by the news. "Yes, yes, she must die, and Voldemort must do it. That is essential."

"You're only keeping her alive so that she can die at the proper moment." Severus hissed, anger overtaking him now as he leaned forward near his desk. "This isn't even about the fact that I've done everything for you for over a decade and a half for the memory of Lily. I care for the girl!" Severus snapped, standing and pacing now.

"You're raising her like a pig for slaughter." Albus remained quiet. "You told me many years ago that I disgusted you when I said Lily was the only one I cared for being safe." Now he leaned across his desk in a way he only spoke to first years. "Now you disgust me!"

He ran a hand through his hair. "I'm supposed to feel loss all over again after this war? You care more about the war than a living person!"

"Severus, if the war is over, then you may continue a life without being a spy." Albus tried to reason, knowing it was a sorry excuse.

"I will never utter a complaint about spying again if it means another day that Daisy Potter is alive."

Albus stood, eyeing Severus. "She must die or the world will never know peace." And before Severus could remark back, Albus swiftly left the office. Little did he know, that night was the first time Severus's emotions overcame him since the night he found Lily's dead body.

Daisy woke in her dormitory the next morning. There was only a few days left of the school year. Sirius would be meeting her at Platform 9 and ¾ to pick her up for the summer; after she visited last night, he seemed better than ever. He wasn't upset with her at all about going to the ministry. Sirius claimed it was something her dad would have been proud of.

George Weasley would be graduating soon; he and his brother were finally getting everything sorted to begin their joke shop in Diagon Alley. Umbridge was gone, along with all her decrees. While she regretted last night, now the entire wizarding world knew Voldemort was back, finally everyone believed her and Dumbledore. She felt lighter than she had in some time, even after the conversation last night about her essentially needing to be the one to murder Voldemort. After speaking to Sirius about it, they both agreed it was something she already knew in a way, and she had the love and support from so many to help her.

Daisy didn't have the chance to speak to Severus until after her final OWL, and the remaining week of classes returned to their normal scheduling—even if school exams were cancelled, per usual. The Daily Prophet showed Voldemort on the front page, so it was clear the second war had begun. Daisy wondered how this would affect wizarding families and muggles.

Although, Daisy didn't notice it, Severus was watching her more closely than usual at mealtimes and in the halls. He felt an ache in his soul that hadn't been felt so strongly since they days following Lily's death. Part of him wanted to stop the prophecy, stop Daisy from thinking that was what she had to do. He felt the guilt of Lily's death consume him in moments of isolation. He was responsible for Lily's death, and he couldn't even protect her daughter.

There was one remaining Potions class with Slytherin before the end of the year, and it was unlike any other. His demeanor was the same for others classes, but with Daisy before him, he felt as though he couldn't teach. He assigned a potion to the class and took a seat in the back of the room, his heart hurting when he saw Daisy laugh at something Ron said, knowing her days were numbered.

It wasn't until Neville completely botched his potion and Severus didn't say anything that Daisy knew something was different. Normally, Neville received the brunt of Severus's force due to Severus's wish that it was Neville who was chosen by Lord Voldemort instead.

Eventually, class ended, and the room emptied out of students—glad to be done with their last Potions class of the year (forever for some depending on their OWL score).Severus busied himself, stacking their last essays, his back to the disseminating students.

When the classroom was silent, he heard a voice from behind him, "Professor Snape?" He turned around to see Daisy. "A-Are you alright?" She asked tentatively.

"Why do you ask?" He replied, trying to sound like his usual dry voice.

"You banished Neville's potion without saying anything or taking away any points." She replied plainly.

This almost made Severus forget he was looking at someone with a death sentence. He gave the slightest of smiles as the corners of his mouth turned up. "I'm just distracted, Potter."

She nodded looking into his dark eye. She could barely tell where the pupil was since his eyes were so dark, but they looked softer than usual. She trusted he was just distracted, but she tried to give a comforting smile. "I'll see you around this summer?" She asked.

"Yes, Daisy." He replied, not wanting to sound emotionally exhausted as she beamed then left for lunch.


End file.
